2012 AAPT Summer Meeting

Welcome to Philadelphia...... 3 Meeting Information...... 4 First Time at a Meeting?...... 6 About Philadelphia...... 8 Meeting at a Glance...... 11 Special Events...... 16 Committee Meetings...... 17 AAPT Awards...... 18 Philadelphia, PA Plenaries...... 21 Commercial Workshops...... 23 July 28–August 1, 2012 Exhibitor Information...... 24 Sessions Schedule Charts...... 27 University of Pennsylvania Workshop Abstracts...... 30 Session Abstracts...... 39 Sunday...... 39 Monday...... 43 Tuesday ...... 85 Wednesday...... 123 Our Donors...... 148 Participants’ Index...... 149 American Association of Physics Teachers Advertiser Index...... 152 One Physics Ellipse Maps...... 153 College Park, MD 20740 Restaurants...... 159 301-209-3333 www.aapt.org Session Sponsors...... 160

Welcome to Philadelphia!

You are in for a treat. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was the home of the first great American experimental physicist, Ben Franklin. Our meeting venue is one of America’s oldest college campuses, the University of Pennsylvania. The 5K AAPT Walk/Run, a fundraiser that supports our meetings and conferences, will tour this beautiful campus! Attendees will also have a chance to visit area attractions. Don’t miss the trolley tour of downtown Phila- delphia. Experience the sights and hear the tales of a city that forged a nation, cheered for Rocky, and is home to the oldest natural science research institution and museum in the western hemisphere, the Lib- erty Bell and Independence Hall! The city is known for its hoagies, scrapple, soft pretzels, Philadelphia Water Ice, Tastykake, and is home to the cheesesteak. Be sure to visit the two most famous cheesesteak vendors in Philly, Pat’s and Geno’s. These two vendors have a highly publicized rivalry and are located across the street from each other on 9th St. and Passyunk Ave. in South Philadelphia, just three miles from campus. Like Philadelphia, the 2012 AAPT Summer Meeting has much to offer. Our celebration of Physics: The Experimental Core will feature an opportunity to watch a live performance and learn more about the life and times of Benjamin Franklin, one of the leading figures of early American history. Physics is an experimental science. Encouraging and empowering the next generation to embrace the art of experimentation that lies at the core of physics will ensure that our field remains vibrant and alive. Our plenary sessions will explore our field across the scales of size, from the very small to the very large, with a stop at the human scale. Schools of fish, flocks of birds, and stampeding elephants are examples of phenomena from the natural living world that can be described using the tools of physics. Biological physics is a rapidly developing field of research that lies at the boundaries of physics, chemistry, and biology, and seeks to contribute to our understanding of life. Our 17 area committees span interests from Apparatus, to Women in Physics, to Science Education for the Public to Teacher Preparation to Professional Concerns. All interested members are welcome to attend these committee meetings, which are listed in the schedule, to get involved! We’ll hear talks that cross time, from “Experience, Experiment, Entertainment: Electrostatic Apparatus in the Age of Franklin” to looking to the future of our field with the “APS Bridge Program: Enhancing Diversity in Physics Graduate Education.” Speakers will answer questions such as “Can computational modeling be accessible to introductory students?” and how can we provide quality laboratory experiences in these days of tight budgets? We can look outward to “Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Science” and inward to “Faculty Peer Mentoring.” We can explore ways to innovate our laboratory instruction and gain “International Perspectives on Laboratory Instruction.” We can learn more about “Leadership Models in Science” and “Mentoring Minority Students.” We can learn from the results of the “Two-Year College New Faculty Experience.” We can also relax and be amazed, even though we understand the science, by demonstrations from Third Eye. Preceding this meeting, July 25-27, ALPhA will host the 2012 Topical Conference, “Laboratory Instruc- tion Beyond the First Year of College.” And “The New Faculty Commencement Conference,” part of AAPT’s New Faculty Experience for Two-Year College Faculty will take place July 27-30. Directly following this meeting, the Physics Education Research Conference (PERC) is scheduled August 1-2, 2012. It will be a busy meeting and I’m excited to have you here! Please send me your feedback and stories from the Summer Meeting.

Gay Stewart, [email protected] 2012 Program Chair

July 28–August 1, 2012 3 AAPT Sustaining Members Special Thanks AAPT wishes to thank the following persons for their dedi- The American Association of Physics Teachers is extremely cation and selfless contributions to the Summer Meeting: grateful to the following companies who have generously supported AAPT over the years: Our Philadelphia organizers: • From the University of Pennsylvania: Larry Gladney, American 3B Scientific Physics Department Chair, Asante Barr, Bill Berner, Arbor Scientific Bryan Boulden, Erin Fallon, Lauren Gala, Vivian AU Physics Enterprises Hasiuk, Stephanie Heminger, Jane Horowitz, Chris Audio Visual Imagineering Leary, Millicent Minnick, Jim Nixon, and Harriet Design Simulation Technologies, Inc. Slogoff • Darnell Belford, of the Philadelphia Convention and Educational Innovations, Inc. Visitors Bureau Expert TA Paper sorters: Kathleen Falconer Iowa Doppler Products Brittney Johnson John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Dyan Jones Johns Hopkins University Press Mary Bridget Kustusch Klinger Educational Products Corp. AAPT Executive Board Laser Classroom Jill A. Marshall, President Gregory Puskar Modus Medical Devices, Inc. University of Texas – Austin Vice Chair of Section Representatives Oceanside Photo & Telescope Austin, TX West Virginia University Morgantown, WV PASCO scientific Gay B. Stewart, President Elect University of Arkansas Steven Shropshire, at large Pearson Fayettevile, AR Idaho State University Physics2000.com Mary Beth Monroe, Vice President Pocatello, ID Sapling Learning Southwest Texas Junior College Diane M. Riendeau, at large Uvalde, TX Deerfield High School Sargent Welch–CENCO Physics Steven Iona, Secretary Deerfield, IL School Specialty Science (CPO Science) University of Colorado Paul Williams, at large The Science Source Boulder, CO Austin Community College Paul W. Zitzewitz, Treasurer Austin, TX Spectrum Techniques LLC University of Michigan – Dearborn Karl C. Mamola (ex officio) TeachSpin, Inc. Dearborn, MI Editor, The Physics Teacher Tel-Atomic, Inc. David R. Sokoloff, Past President David P. Jackson (ex officio) Vernier Software & Technology University of Oregon Editor, Amer. Journal of Physics Eugene, OR W H Freeman & Company Robert C. Hilborn (ex officio) Marina Milner-Bolotin AAPT Associate Executive Officer WebAssign Chair of Section Representatives Univ. of British Columbia Beth A. Cunningham (ex officio) Vancouver, BC Canada AAPT Executive Officer

Contacts: Facebook/Twitter at Meeting AAPT Programs & Conferences Dept: 301-209-3340; [email protected] We will be tweeting and posting upates to our Facebook Tiffany Hayes, Director, Programs & page before and during the meeting to give you all the Conferences details of the meeting. Participate in the conversation Cerena Cantrell, Associate Director, Programs by reading the latest tweets here, or placing the hashtag & Conferences #aaptsm12 in your tweets! We will also be tweeting and Janet Lane, Programs Administrator posting to Facebook any changes to the schedule, cancella- Pearl Watson, Meetings Logistics & Registration tions, and other announcements during the meeting. Coordinator Follow us to stay up to the minute! (facebook.com/physicsteachers and @physicsteachers on American Association of Physics Teachers Twitter) One Physics Ellipsethy College Park, MD USA 20740-3845 301-209-3340, fax: 301-209-0845 [email protected], www.aapt.org

4 Monday, July 30 12:15–1:15 p.m. Houston Hall - Golkin First time at an AAPT meeting?

Welcome to the 2012 AAPT Summer Meeting in Philadelphia! Everyone at AAPT hopes you fulfill all the goals you have for attending this meeting. To help you plan your meeting activities, the following information and suggestions have been developed.

• Being at your first National Meeting can be a lonely meeting and about AAPT. This is the first time it will experience if you don’t know anyone. AAPT members be held in our Exhibit Hall! are friendly people, so do not hesitate to introduce • Awards and other plenary sessions have distinguished yourself to others in sessions and in the hallways. It speakers and are especially recommended. Invited is fun and rewarding to establish a network of other speakers are experts in their fields and will have half physics teachers with whom you can talk and share an hour or more to discuss their subjects in some experiences. This is especially true during lunch and depth. Posters will be up all day and presenters will be dinner. available during the times indicated in the schedule. • Area Committee meetings are not only for members Contributed papers summarize work the presenters of the committee, but also for friends of the commit- have been doing. You are encouraged to talk to pre- tee. You are welcome to attend any Area Committee senters at the poster sessions or after the contributed meeting. You should be able to find one or two com- paper sessions to gain more information about topics mittees that match your interests. Their meeting times of interest to you. Informal discussion among those are listed on page 19 in this guide. Area Committee interested in the announced topic typically will follow meetings are often relatively small and are a great a panel presentation, and crackerbarrels are entirely place to meet other people with interests similar to devoted to such discussions. yours. • Be sure to make time to visit the exhibits in Houston • Be sure to attend the First Timers’ Gathering from Hall. This is a great place to learn what textbooks and 7:15–8:20 a.m. on Monday in the Irvine Auditorium, equipment are available in physics education. Cafe 58. It is a wonderful way to learn more about the

Philadelphia – “Brotherly Love”

hiladelphia was founded in 1682 by William Penn and laid out by him Pat a prime spot between the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. The area was already inhabited by the Lenape Native Americans as well as Swedish and Dutch settlers, who had arrived in the early 1600s to establish a colony. It became an important Colonial city, and during the American Revolution Philadelphia was the site of the First and Second Continental Congresses. It was chosen to be the temporary capital of the United States from 1790- 1800. Philadelphia had a large free black community which aided fugitive slaves and founded the first independent black denomination in the nation, the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Philadelphia became one of the first U.S. industrial centers with a variety of industries. In the 19th century, Philadelphia had a variety of industries and businesses, the largest being textiles. Major corporations in the 19th and early 20th centuries included the Baldwin Locomotive Works, William Cramp and Sons Ship and Engine Building Company, and the Pennsylvania Railroad. The U.S. Centennial was celebrated in 1876 with the Centennial Exposition, the first official World’s Fair in the United States. The population grew dramatically at the end of the 19th century, through immigration from Europe, as well as the Great Migration of blacks from the rural South and Puerto Ricans from the Caribbean, all attracted to the city’s industrial jobs. The Pennsylvania Railroad hired 10,000 workers from the South. Manufacturing plants and the U.S Navy Yard employed tens of thousands of industrial workers along the rivers, and the city was also a center of finance and publishing. By the 1950s, population decline accompanied the industrial restructuring and the loss of tens of thousands of jobs in the mid 20th century. With increasing poverty and social dislocation in the city, gang and mafia warfare plagued the city in the mid-20th century. By the end of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st, revitalization and gentrification of historic neighborhoods attracted more middle-class people who began to return to the city. It is now the fifth most populous city in the United States, with an information and service-based economy, attracting up to 2 million visitors each year for its history. –wikipedia.org

Education The history of education began with Benjamin Franklin’s founding of the University of Pennsylvania in 1743 as a European-styled school and America’s first university. Today the Philadelphia area is home to nearly 300,000 college students. There are more than 80 colleges, universities, trade, and specialty schools in the region. The city contains three major research universities: the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, and Temple University; and the city is home to five schools of medicine: Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medi- cine, Temple University School of Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, and the University of Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia suburbs, especially those along the Main Line, are home to a number of other colleges and universities, including Villanova Univer- sity, Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College, Swarthmore College, Cabrini College, and Eastern University.

8 Things to do in Philadelphia: u The Barnes Foundation: The Barnes Collection features 181 Renoirs, 69 Cézannes and 59 Matisses, along with works by Manet, Degas, Seurat, Prendergrast, Titian and Picasso. u The Franklin Institute: Features touchable attractions Located at 2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Go to website to exploring science ranging from sports to space. Highlights: reserve timed tickets: www.barnesfoundation.org/visit. The Sports Challenge, which uses virtual-reality technology to illustrate the physics of sports; The Train Factory’s climb- u National Constitution Center: aboard steam engine; Space Command’s simulated Earth-orbit An interactive history research station; a fully equipped weather station; and exhibits museum located just two blocks from the Liberty Bell and on electricity. Located in Center City, at the intersection of Independence Hall, devoted to the U.S. Constitution and the 20th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. www2.fi.edu. story of “We, the People.” Now showing: “From Asbury Park to the Promised Land: The Life and Music of Bruce Springs- teen” and “On My Honor: 100 Years of Girl Scouting.” Go to u Philadelphia Museum of Art: The vast collections make it constitutioncenter.org for information. the third-largest art museum in the country and a must-see on the city’s cultural circuit. Holdings in Renaissance, American, u Valley Forge National Historical Park: Impressionist and Modern art. Highlights: Rogier van der Valley Forge is Weyden altarpiece, a large “Bathers” by Cezanne, Marcel Du- the story of an army’s epic struggle to survive against terrible champ’s notorious mixed-media “Bride Stripped Bare by her odds, hunger, disease, and the unrelenting forces of nature. Bachelors” (The Large Glass). Also check out the Rocky Statue With the British army occupying Philadelphia, Continental located near the famous steps! www.philamuseum.org. commander George Washington had to find a place to en- camp for the winter. He chose what seemed to be a strategic high-ridged area to the west. The winter was fierce, and 2000 u Independence Hall/ Liberty Bell Center: Independence men died without a shot fired, yet they emerged in mid-1778 Hall is located at the south side of Chestnut Street between to win significant battles. Located near King of Prussia, PA. 5th and 6th Streets. Free, walk-up tickets are available for pick www.nps.gov/vafo/index.htm. up at the Independence Visitor Center on the day of your visit starting at 8:30 a.m. Arrive early—during the busy season, u Longwood Gardens: tickets are often gone by 1 p.m. The Liberty Bell has a new A place to see dazzling displays that home, and it is as powerful and dramatic as the Bell itself. elevate the art of horticulture... a place to enjoy performances Throughout the expansive Center, larger-than-life historic that inspire... a place to watch majestic fountains spring to documents and graphic images explore the facts and the life. This summer, enjoy Light Installations by Bruce Munro, myths surrounding the Bell. an evocative and imaginative art display by the British artist and light designer. Located 30 miles from Philadelphia. For tickets: www.longwoodgardens.org.

July 28–August 1, 2012 9 AAPT_full_bw 4/21/11 1:52 PM Page 1

Experimenting with your hiring process?

Finding the right science teaching job or hire shouldn’t be left to chance. The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) Career Center is your ideal niche employment site for science teaching opportunities at high schools, two-year, and four-year colleges and universities, targeting over 125,000 top teaching scientists in the highly-specialized disciplines of physics, engineering, and computing. Whether you’re looking to hire or be hired, AAPT provides real results by matching hundreds of relevant jobs with this hard-to-reach audience each month. http://careers.aapt.org

Stop by the AAPT Booth on Monday, July 30, to speak with Career Center representative Kelly Winberg. Learn the ins and outs of the Career Center first hand. Hand- outs and giveaways will be available.

The American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) is a partner in the AIP Career Network, a collection of online job sites for scientists, engineers, and computing professionals. Other partners include Physics Today, the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), American Physical Society (APS), AVS Science and Technology, IEEE Computer Society, and the Society of Physics Students (SPS) and Sigma Pi Sigma. Meeting-at-a-Glance Meeting-at-a-Glance includes sessions, workshops, committee meetings and other events, including luncheons, Exhibit Hall hours and snacks, plenary sessions, and receptions. All rooms will be in buildings on the University of Pennsylvania Campus. Workshops on Saturday and Sunday will be in the Physics Department in David Rittenhouse Labs Building (DRL). KEY: HH = Houston Hall IA = Irvine Auditorium CCH = Claudia Cohen Hall DRL = David Rittenhouse Labs

Friday, July 27 4–7 p.m. Registration HH- Reading Room Saturday, July 28 7 a.m.–4 p.m. Registration HH - Reading Room 8 a.m.–12 p.m. W08 LivePhoto Physics: Advanced Projects with Video Analysis DRL - 3W2 8 a.m.–12 p.m. W09 CASTLE Workshop - Model Building Investigations of Electromagnetic Field Production DRL - 3C8 8 a.m.–12 p.m. W11 New RealTime Physics and Interactive Lecture Demonstration Tools and Curricula DRL - 3N20 8 a.m.–12 p.m. W12 Teaching Physics in Urban Schools DRL - 3N12 8 a.m.–12 p.m. W13 Using FPGAs in the Digital Lab DRL - 3N16 8 a.m.–5 p.m. W01 Building Scientific Apparatus and Invention Prototypes DRL - 3N9 8 a.m.–5 p.m. W02 Grant Writing DRL - Computer Lab 8 a.m.–5 p.m. W03 Learning Physics While Practicing Science DRL - 3W5 8 a.m.–5 p.m. W04 Make, Take, and Do: Homemade Physics Equipment DRL - 3N17 8 a.m.–5 p.m. W05 Physics By Design DRL - 3N15 8 a.m.–5 p.m. W06 PIRA Lecture Demonstration I DRL - A1 1–5 p.m. W14 Ben Franklin is My Lab Partner DRL - 3N12 1–5 p.m. W15 Introductory Laboratories DRL - 3W7 and 11 1–5 p.m. W16 Lab Experiments that (can) Re-appear Across the Curriculum DRL - 3N16 1–5 p.m. W17 Modeling Physics for University Physics DRL - 3C6 1–5 p.m. W18 Science and Religion: Teaching Critical Thinking DRL - 3W2 1–5 p.m. W19 Skepticism in the Classroom DRL - 3C2 4–5:15 p.m. Awards Committee HH - Griski 5:15–7:15 p.m. Meetings Committee Sheraton - Chestnut 6:30–10 p.m. AAPT Executive Board I Sheraton - William Penn SUNDAY, July 29 7 a.m.–4 p.m. Registration HH - Reading Room 8–10 a.m. Publications Committee Sheraton – William Penn 8 a.m.–12 p.m. W25 Real-time Assessments of Student Understanding DRL - 3C2 8 a.m.–12 p.m. W26 PRISMS – A High School Physics Curriculum DRL - 3W2 8 a.m.–12 p.m. W27 Activities for Teaching About Weather and Climate DRL - 3N15 8 a.m.–12 p.m. W28 Can You Teach Radioactivity Using Inquiry? Yes! DRL - 3N12 8 a.m.–12 p.m. W29 ClassAction: Interactive Classroom Materials for Introductory Astronomy DRL - 3C6 8 a.m.–12 p.m. W30 How to Make Significant, Lasting Changes in Intro. Physics for Life Science Course DRL - 3N14 8 a.m.–12 p.m. W31 From Ptolemy to Einstein: Using Computer Simulations in Astronomy DRL - PC Lab 1 8 a.m.–12 p.m. W32 Sound & Music, Ways to Teach It (Free Kit!) DRL - 3W5 8 a.m.–12 p.m. W33 PTRA Workshop: Using Children’s Literature to Teach Science DRL - 3N22 8 a.m.–5 p.m. W20 PIRA Lecture Demonstration II DRL - A1 8 a.m.–5 p.m. W21 The Physics of Energy DRL - 3N17 8 a.m.–5 p.m. W22 UTeach Observation Protocol (UTOP) DRL - 3C8 8 a.m.–5 p.m. W23 Computation and the Modeling Curriculum DRL - 3N16 8 a.m.–5 p.m. PIRA Resource Room/Apparatus Competition Set-up HH - Platt Rehearsal 8 a.m.–5 p.m. High School Physics Photo Contest Viewing & Voting HH - Hall of Flags Balcony 9 a.m.–12 p.m. T01 Research-based Teaching Strategies to Close the Gap DRL- 3C4 10 a.m.–5:10 p.m. Executive Board II Sheraton - William Penn 10:30 a.m.–12 p.m. Nominating Committee IA - G01 Green 11:30 a.m.–2 p.m. Resource Letters Committee IA - G7 1–5 p.m. W10 “Hands-on” on the Road DRL - 3N15 1–5 p.m. W35 Simple Experiments for Learning the Strategies that Mirror Scientific Practice DRL - 3N9 1–5 p.m. W36 Advanced & Intermediate Laboratories DRL - 3W7 and 11 1–5 p.m. W37 Biology-Inspired Labs for Introductory Physics DRL - 3N12 1–5 p.m. W38 Cosmology in the Classroom DRL - 3W10 1–5 p.m. W39 Free Online Integrated Learning Environment for Mechanics DRL - 3N14 1–5 p.m. W40 Heliophysics Applications for Physics Teaching DRL - 3N22 July 28–August 1, 2012 11 1–5 p.m. W42 LEAP: Learner-Centered Environment for Algebra-based Physics DRL - 3W5 1–5 p.m. W43 Physics and Toys II: Energy, Momentum, Electricity, and Magnetism DRL - 3W2 1–5 p.m. W45 Video Resource for Learning Assistant Development DRL - 3C4 1–5 p.m. PTRA-4 Sound and Music: H.S. Materials Plus Updates for Grades RNL - 3N6 5:15–6:30 p.m. Programs Committee I HH - Golkin 5:30–6:30 p.m. Section Officers Exchange CCH - Terrace 6–8 p.m. High School Share-a-Thon IA - Amado Recital Hall 6:30–8 p.m. Section Representatives CCH - Terrace 6:30–8 p.m. Research in Physics Education Committee (RiPE) HH - Class of 47 6:30–8 p.m. Committee on Laboratories IA - G16 6:30–8 p.m. Committee on Graduate Education in Physics HH - Griski 6:30–8 p.m. Committee on SI Units and Metric Education IA - G7 7:30–9 p.m. rEGISTRATION HH - Reading Room 8–10 p.m. Exhibit Hall Opening / Welcome Reception HH - Bodek/Hall of Flags 8–10 p.m. SPS Undergraduate and Graduate Research Poster Session / Reception HH - Bistro Monday, July 30 7 a.m.–5 p.m. Registration HH - Reading Room 7–8:30 a.m. Committee on Teacher Preparation IA - G7 7–8:30 a.m. Committee on Women in Physics IA - G16 7–8:30 a.m. Committee on Educational Technologies IA - G01 Green 7:15–8:20 a.m. First Timers’ Gathering IA - Cafe 58 7:15–8:15 a.m. Two-Year College Breakfast (ticket required) HH - Ben Franklin 8–10 a.m. Poster Session I Set-up HH - Bistro 8 a.m.–5 p.m. High School Physics Photo Contest Viewing & Voting HH - Hall of Flags Balcony 8 a.m–5 p.m. TYC Resource Room HH - Reading Room Alcove 8 a.m–5 p.m. PIRA Resource Room HH - Platt Rehearsal 8:30–10:30 a.m. AA Assessing Student Learning in Upper-Division Labs Sheraton - Ben Franklin I 8:30–10:30 a.m. AB Panel: The Good and the Bad of Video Lectures Sheraton - Ben Franklin II 8:30–10:30 a.m. AC Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Science Sheraton - Ben Franklin III 8:30–10:30 a.m. AD Textbooks and Labs Suitable for Ninth Grade Physics Sheraton - Ben Franklin IV 8:30–10:30 a.m. AE PER: Topical Understanding - Introductory Level HH - Class of 49 8:30–10 a.m. AF Teacher Preparation Around the World Sheraton - Ben Franklin V 8:30–10:30 a.m. AG Two-Year College New Faculty Experience IA - Amado Recital Hall 8:30–10:30 a.m. AH PER in the High School CCH - Claudia Cohen Terrace 8:30–10:30 a.m. AI Teaching Physics to the Liberal Arts Major HH - Golkin 8:30–10:30 a.m. PTRA-1 Explorations and Practicums, co-presented by George Amann and Pat Callahan DRL - 3N6 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Exhibit Hall Open (coffee break, 10:30 a.m.) HH - Bodek and Hall of Flags 10:30–11:30 a.m. Spouses/Guest Gathering IA - Cafe 58 10:45 a.m. Monday Amazon Kindle Drawing HH - Bodek Lounge 11 a.m.–12:10 p.m. Awards AAPT Excellence in Teaching Awards Inn at Penn - Woodlands 12:15–1:15 p.m. CW04 Pearson Commercial Workshop Inn at Penn - Reg./St. Marks 12:15–1:15 p.m. CW05 Klinger Educational Products Corp. Commercial Workshop Sheraton - University Suite 12:15–1:15 p.m. CW06 Physics2000.com Workshop in Introductory Physics HH - Golkin 12:15–1:15 p.m. Crkbrl-01 Vidshare: Motivating and Elucidating Short Videos You Can Use! IA - Amado Recital Hall 12:15–1:15 p.m. Crkbrl-02 Crackerbarrel: Physics and Society Sheraton - Ben Franklin I 12:15–1:15 p.m. Early Career Professionals Speed Networking Event Sheraton - Fairmount 12:15–1:15 p.m. Retired Physicists’ Luncheon (ticket required) Sheraton - Chestnut 12:15–1:15 p.m. H.S. Teachers’ First Timers Luncheon/ AAPT: What’s in it for H.S. Teachers? HH - Ben Franklin 12:15–1:15 p.m. Membership and Benefits Committee IA - G7 12:15–1:15 p.m. PERG Town Hall Meeting CCH - Terrace 12:15–1:15 p.m. AAPT Board /APS FEd Members Luncheon TBD 1:30–3 p.m. Plenary APS Division of Biophysics: Birds, Brains, and Physics Inn at Penn - Woodlands 3 p.m.–3:30 p.m. Exhibit Hall: Afternoon Snack Break HH - Hall of Flags/Bodek 3:15 p.m. Monday Amazon Kindle Raffle Drawing HH - Hall of Flags 3:30–5:30 p.m. BA Panel: Physics First Discussion – Success Stories in the Delaware Valley Sheraton - Ben Franklin I 3:30–5 p.m. BB Leadership Models in Science Sheraton - Ben Franklin II 3:30-5:30 p.m. BC The Art and Science of Teaching Sheraton - Ben Franklin III 3:30–5:30 p.m. BD PER: Attitudes HH - Class of 49 3:30–5:10 p.m. BE Video Analysis in Undergraduate Education Sheraton - William Tell Suite 3:30–5:30 p.m. BF Innovations in Teaching Astronomy Sheraton - Ben Franklin V 3:30–5:30 p.m. BG PER Around the World CCH - Claudia Cohen Terrace 3:30–5:30 p.m. BH Continuing Teacher Preparation: Inservice Professional Development Sheraton - Ben Franklin IV 3:30–5:30 p.m. BI What Works in the Pre-College Classroom IA - Amado Recital Hall 12 3:30–5:30 p.m. BJ Introductory Labs/Apparatus HH - Golkin 5:30-6:30 p.m. Undergraduate Awards Reception IA - Cafe 58 5:30–7 p.m. Committee on Physics in Two-Year Colleges HH - Golkin 5:30–7 p.m. Committee on Professional Concerns IA - G7 5:30–7 p.m. Committee on Space Science and Astronomy IA - G01 Green 5:30–7 p.m. Committee on Physics in High Schools HH - Class of 47 5:30–7 p.m. PIRA Business Meeting IA - Amado Recital Hall 5:30–7 p.m. Benjamin Franklin Performance CCH - Claudia Cohen Terrace 7–8:30 p.m. CA Can Computational Modeling be Accessible to Introductory Students? Sheraton - Ben Franklin I 7–8:30 p.m. CB Labs at Many Levels Sheraton - Ben Franklin II 7–8:30 p.m. CC Teaching Environmental Physics in the Undergraduate Curriculum Sheraton - Ben Franklin III 7–8 p.m. CD iPad & iPhone Apps and Mobile Devices in the Classroom Sheraton - Ben Franklin IV 7–8:30 p.m. CE Panel: Writing for Academic Journals Sheraton - Ben Franklin V 7–8:30 p.m. CF Video Analysis in the High School and Introductory College Classroom Sheraton - William Penn Suite 7–8:20 p.m. CG Mentoring Minority Students CCH - Claudia Cohen Terrace 7–8:30 p.m. CH Oral History – Methods and Examples HH - Class of 49 7–8:30 p.m. CI Different Research-based Curricula Promote Different Agendas in Research HH - Golkin 7–7:20 p.m. CJ Undergraduate Research IA - Amado Recital Hall 7:30–8:30 p.m. CK Assessing Student Learning in the Introductory Lab IA - Amado Recital Hall 8:30–10 p.m. PST-1 Poster Session 1 HH - Bistro

Tuesday, July 31 7–8 a.m. AAPT Fun Run/Walk 31st and Walnut 7 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Registration HH - Reading Room 7:30–8:30 a.m. Physics Bowl Advisory Committee IA - G01 Green 8 a.m.–5 p.m. High School Physics Photo Contest Viewing & Voting HH - Hall of Flags Balcony 8 a.m–5 p.m. TYC Resource Room HH - Reading Room Alcove 8 a.m–5 p.m. PIRA Resource Room HH - Platt Rehearsal 8–10 a.m. Poster Session II Set-up HH - Bistro 8:30–10:30 a.m. DA International Perspectives on Laboratory Instruction Sheraton - Ben Franklin I 8:30–10:30 a.m. DB Physics and Society Sheraton - Ben Franklin II 8:30–10:30 a.m. DC Teaching Scientific Programming from Intro to Upper Level Physics Sheraton - Ben Franklin III 8:30–10:20 a.m. DD Preparing Teachers to Serve Diverse Communities Sheraton - Ben Franklin IV 8:30–10:20 a.m. DE Upper Division Undergraduate Education Sheraton - Ben Franklin V 8:30–10:30 a.m. DF PER: Topical Understanding Intro to Advanced HH - Class of 49 8:30–10:30 a.m. DG Physics of Entertainment Sheraton - William Penn Suite 8:30–10:30 a.m. DH PER: Problem Solving I CCH - Terrace 8:30–10:30 a.m. DI PER: Student Reasoning I IA - Amado Recital Hall 8:30–10:30 a.m. DJ Using Research-based High School PER Curriculum in Teacher Preparation HH - Golkin 8:30–10:30 a.m. PTRA-2 PTRA presents Everyday Einstein: GPS & Relativity DRL - Room 3N6 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Exhibit Hall Open (coffee break, 10 a.m.) HH - Bodek and Hall of Flags 10:45 a.m. Tuesday B&N NOOK Raffle Drawing HH - Hall of Flags 11 a.m.–12 p.m. Plenary sizing Up the Universe: J. Richard Gott inn at Penn - Woodlands Ballroom 12–1 p.m. CW01 Expert TA Commercial Workshop Sheraton - University Suite 12–1:30 p.m. Committee on Science Education for the Public HH - Branchfeld 12–1:30 p.m. Committee on the History & Philosophy of Physics IA - G7 12–1:30 p.m. Committee on Minorities in Physics IA - G16 12–1:30 p.m. Committee on International Physics Education HH - Golkin 12–1:30 p.m. Past Officers Luncheon HH - Ben Franklin 12–1:30 p.m. Crkbrl-03 Crackerbarrel for Solo PERs Sheraton - Ben Franklin I 12–1:30 p.m. Crkbrl-04 Common Core Framework and Physics Standards for College Success Sheraton - Ben Franklin II 12–1:30 p.m. Crkbrl-05 YouTube Sharathon Crackerbarrel Sheraton - Ben Franklin V 12:15–1:15 p.m. Book Signing by J. Richard Gott Inn at Penn - Woodlands Foyer 12:15–1:15 p.m. ALPhA Meeting IA - G01 Green 12:30–1:30 p.m. CW02 Pearson Commercial Workshop Inn at Penn - Regent/St. Marks 1:30–1:50 p.m. EA The Coolest Experiment You Teach (beyond the first year) Sheraton - Ben Franklin I 1:30–2:30 p.m. EC Faculty Peer Mentoring Sheraton - Ben Franklin II 1:30–3 p.m. ED Preparing Teachers to Integrate Labs into Instruction Sheraton - Ben Franklin III 1:30–3 p.m. EE Antique Electrostatic Apparatus Sheraton - Ben Franklin IV 1:30–2:40 p.m. EF PER in the Pre-college Classroom HH - Class of 49 1:30–2:40 p.m. EG Using a Planetarium to Teach Astronomy IA - Amado Recital Hall 1:30–3 p.m. EH PER: Problem Solving II Sheraton - Ben Franklin V 1:30–3 p.m. EI Using ISLE to Analyze Simple Experiments Sheraton - William Penn Suite

July 28–August 1, 2012 13 1:30–3 p.m. EJ Two-Year Colleges Poster Session HH - Reading Room Alcove 1:30–3 p.m. EK LHC Data for Physics Teachers and Students CCH - Claudia Cohen Terrace 2–2:50 p.m. EB Continuing Teacher Preparation: Inservice Professional Development II Sheraton - Ben Franklin I 3:15–3:45 p.m. Exhibit Hall: Afternoon Snack Break HH - Hall of Flags/ Bodek 3:15 p.m. Tuesday B&N NOOK Raffle Drawing HH - Bodek Lounge 3:30–4:30 p.m. Plenary Space-Time, Quantum Mechanics, Large Hadron Collider–N. Arkani-Hamed Inn at Penn - Woodlands Ballroom 4:30–6 p.m. Committee on Physics in Undergraduate Education IA - G01 Green 4:30–6 p.m. Committee on Physics in Pre-High School Education IA - G7 4:30–6 p.m. Committee on Apparatus HH - Class of 47 4:30–6 p.m. Committee on the Interests of Senior Physicists IA - G16 4:30–6:30 p.m. CW03 Vernier Software: New Data Collection Tools for Physics Inn at Penn - Regent/St. Marks 6–6:30 p.m. New Faculty Reunion IA - G16 6–7:30 p.m. Poster Session II HH - Bistro 7:30–8:30 p.m. Philadelphia Trolley Tour HH pickup 9–10 p.m. AAPT Demo Show Inn at Penn - Woodlands Ballroom

WEDNEsDAY, August 1 7–8:30 a.m. Programs Committee II Sheraton - Chestnut 7–8:30 a.m. Governance Structure Committee (COGS) IA - G01 Green 8 a.m.–3 p.m. PIRA Resource Room HH - Platt Rehearsal 8 a.m.–3 p.m. rEGISTRATION HH - Reading Room 8 a.m.–3 p.m. TYC Resource Room HH - Reading Room Alcove 8:30–10 a.m. FA Bridge Experiences: Increasing Participation of Underrepresented Minorities Sheraton - Ben Franklin I 8:30–10:30 a.m. FB PER: Investigating Classroom Strategies I HH - Class of 49 8:30–10:30 a.m. FC Panel: Multi-Disciplinary-based Education Research Groups Sheraton - Ben Franklin II 8:30–10:30 a.m. FD Reforming the Introductory Physics Course for Life Science Majors VII IA - Amado Recital Hall 8:30–8:50 a.m. FE Developing Student’s Scientific Literacy Sheraton - Ben Franklin IV 8:30–10:30 a.m. FG Introductory Courses Sheraton - Ben Franklin V 8:30–10:30 a.m. FH Teacher Preparation Sheraton - William Penn Suite 8:30–10:30 a.m. FI Teaching Physics Around the World Sheraton - Ben Franklin III 8:30–10 a.m. FJ PIRA Session: International Outreach CCH - Claudia Cohen Terrace 8:30–10:30 a.m. FK Assessing Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Teacher Preparation HH - Golkin 8:30–10:30 a.m. PTRA-3 Using & Adapting OSP- & Physlet-based Materials for an Interactive Class RNL - 3N6 9–10 a.m. FF Interactive Lecture Demonstrations—What’s New? Sheraton - Ben Franklin IV 10:30–11 a.m. Great Book Giveaway; Kickoff for 2013 Winter Meeting New Orleans HH - Reading Room 11 a.m.–12:15 p.m. Awards Millikan Medal – Phil Sadler; Distinguished Service Citations Inn at Penn - Woodlands Ballroom 12:15–1:15 p.m. Crkbrl-06 Do We Have Standards? Moving Towards a Definition of Physics Mastery HH - Class of 49 12:15–1:15 p.m. Crkbrl-07 Crackerbarrel for PER Graduate Students CCH - Claudia Cohen Terrace 12:15–1:15 p.m. Crkbrl-08 Crackerbarrel for Faculty in Small Departments IA - Amado Recital Hall 12:15–1:15 p.m. Nominating Committee II IA - G01 Green 12:15–1:15 p.m. Fredrick and Florence M. Bauder Endowment Committee IA - G7 12:15–1:30 p.m. Audit Committee IA - G16 1:30–3 p.m. GA Teaching Physics in Urban and Suburban Settings Sheraton - Ben Franklin I 1:30–3 p.m. GB PER: Investigating Classroom Strategies II Sheraton - Ben Franklin II 1:30–2:50 p.m. GC Technologies Sheraton - Ben Franklin III 1:30–1:50 p.m. GD Great Teachers Sheraton - Ben Franklin IV 1:30–3 p.m. GE The Third Eye Returns Sheraton - Ben Franklin V 1:30–3 p.m. GF PER: Student Reasoning II HH - Class of 49 1:30–3 p.m. GG Dollar Store Labs Sheraton - William Penn Suite 1:30–3 p.m. GH PER: Teacher Preparation and Development CCH - Claudia Cohen Terrace 1:30–3 p.m. GI Physics for All IA - Amado Recital Hall 1:30–3 p.m. GL Advanced Physics Topics / Post Deadline Session HH - Golkin 1:30–3 p.m. GM Panel: Giving Voice in the Classroom Sheraton - University Suite 2–3 p.m. GK Middle and High School Teaching Sheraton - Ben Franklin IV 3–6 p.m. PER Physics Education Research (PER) Bridging Session Inn at Penn - Woodlands Ballroom 6:30–8 p.m. Physics Education Research Conference (PERC) Banquet Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom 8:30–10 p.m. PERC Poster Session HH - Hall of Flags

Special Events at AAPT 2012 Summer Meetingmm

Sunday, July 29 u Ben Franklin Performance u AAPT Welcome Reception & 5:30–7 p.m. Monday Exhibit Hall Opening CCH - Claudia Cohen Terrace 8–10 p.m. Come and meet this most famous Philadelphian, explore his Houston Hall – Hall of Flags / Bodek Lounge thoughts, share his observations, experience the essence of his being and have your picture taken with him. Ticket required. Monday, July 30 u First Timers’ Gathering Tuesday, July 31 7:15–8:20 a.m. Monday Irvine Auditorium – Cafe 58 u AAPT Fun Run / Walk Learn more about AAPT and the Summer Meeting. Meet and 7–8 a.m. Tuesday greet new friends. High School Teacher Day attendees encouraged Join us for the 4th Annual AAPT Fun Run/Walk on the to check in here! campus of University of Pennsylvania. Meet at 31st and Wal- nut Street (Lower Level) Entrance to Penn Park .Water will be u Two-Year College Breakfast provided. 7:15–8:15 a.m. Monday Houston Hall – Ben Franklin Room u Exhibit Hall B&N NOOK Drawing Tuesday Pre-register and enjoy your time and breakfast with like-minded – 10:45 a.m. attendees. Houston Hall – Hall of Flags u Spouses’ Gathering – 3:15 p.m. 10:30–11:30 a.m. Monday Houston Hall – Bodek Lounge Irvine Auditorium – Cafe 58 Tickets $1 apiece, purchased at Registration. You must be Connect with other spouses and guests of AAPT attendees. present to win! u u Exhibit Hall Kindle Drawing Monday Philadelphia Trolley Tour – 10:45 a.m. 7:30–8:30 p.m. Tuesday Houston Hall – Bodek Lounge Allow Philadelphia’s Premier Tour Company to show you – 3:15 p.m. the sights and tell you the tales of a city that forged a na- Houston Hall – Hall of Flags tion, cheered for Rocky, and is home to the Liberty Bell and Tickets $1, purchased at Registration. Must be present to win! Independence Hall! The tour will begin at Houston Hall and ends at the Inn at Penn, just in time to catch the AAPT Demo u Early Career Professionals Speed Show. Networking Event A limited number of tickets are available and are selling fast. 12:15–1:15 p.m. Monday Sheraton – Fairmount u AAPT Demo Show Speed-networking provides the opportunity to discuss career 9–10 p.m. Tuesday goals and challenges with a new contact for five minutes, Inn at Penn – Woodlands Ballroom exchange information, and then move on to the next person. Open to all: Be astounded one more time at fantastic physics demonstrations and effects by The Third Eye, a group of u Retired Physicists’ Luncheon Chinese physics teachers and educators who were also at the 12:15–1:25 p.m. Monday AAPT 2000 Summer Meeting. Sheraton – Chestnut Room Renew and create alliances by networking and exchanging ideas with our long-served and deserving supporters of AAPT. Wednesday, August 1 Pre-register for this event. u Great Book Giveaway u H.S. Teachers’ First Timers Luncheon & Kick-off for 2013 Winter Meeting in 12:15–1:15 p.m. Monday New Orleans Houston Hall – Ben Franklin Room 10:30–11 a.m. Wednesday Houston Hall – Registration area Pre-register for this event. Join this special luncheon for high school physics teachers attending the conference for the first time. Also, Get your raffle ticket from the AAPT booth and attend this AAPT: What’s in it for H.S. Teachers? popular event to claim your book. 16 Committee Meetings

All interested attendees are invited and encouraged to attend the Committee meetings with asterisks (*). Saturday, July 28 Awards Committee 4–5:15 p.m. HH - Griski Meetings Committee 5:15–7:15 p.m. Sheraton - Chestnut Executive Board I 6:30–10 p.m. Sheraton - Wm. Penn

Sunday, July 29 Publications Committee 8–10 a.m. Sheraton - Wm. Penn Nominating Committee 10:30 a.m.–12 p.m. IA - G01 Green Executive Board II 10 a.m.–5:10 p.m. Sheraton - Wm. Penn Resource Letters Committee 11:30 a.m.–2 p.m. IA - G7 Programs Committee I 5:15–6:30 p.m. HH - Golkin Section Officers Exchange 5:30-6:30 p.m. CCH - Terrace Section Representatives 6:30–8 p.m. CCH - Terrace Research in Physics Educ. Committee (RiPE)* 6:30–8 p.m. HH - Class of 47 Committee on Laboratories* 6:30–8 p.m. IA - G16 Committee on Graduate Education in Physics* 6:30–8 p.m. HH - Griski Committee on SI Units and Metric Education* 6:30–8 p.m. IA - G7

Monday, July 30 Committee on Teacher Preparation* 7–8:30 a.m. IA - G7 Committee on Women in Physics* 7–8:30 a.m. IA - G16 Committee on Educational Technologies* 7–8:30 a.m. IA - G01 Green PERG Town Hall meeting 12:15–1:15 p.m. CCH -Terrace Membership and Benefits Committee 12:15–1:15 p.m. IA - G7 Committee on Physics in Two-Year Colleges* 5:30–7 p.m. HH - Golkin Committee on Professional Concerns* 5:30–7 p.m. IA - G7 Committee on Space Science and Astronomy* 5:30–7 p.m. IA - G01 Green Committee on Physics in High Schools* 5:30–7 p.m. HH - Class of 47 PIRA Business Meeting 5:30–7 p.m. IA - Armado Recital Hall

Tuesday, July 31 Physics Bowl Advisory Committee 7:30–8:30 a.m. IA - G01 Committee on Science Education for Public* 12–1:30 p.m. HH- Branchfeld Committee on History & Philosophy of Physics* 12–1:30 p.m. IA - G7 Committee on Minorities in Physics* 12–1:30 p.m. IA -G16 Committee on International Physics Education* 12–1:30 p.m. HH - Golkin ALPhA Meeting* 12:15–1:15 p.m. IA - G01 Green Committee on Physics in Undergrad. Educ.* 4:30–6 p.m. IA - G01 Green Committee on Interests of Senior Physicists* 4:30–6 p.m. IA - G16 Committee on Apparatus* 4:30–6 p.m. HH - Class of 47 Committee on Physics in Pre-H.S. Education* 4:30–6 p.m. IA - G7 Wednesday, August 1 Programs Committee II 7–8:30 a.m. Sheraton - Chestnut Governance Structure Committee 7–8:30 a.m. IA - G01 Green Nominating Committee II 12:15–1:15 p.m. IA - G01 Green Bauder Endowment Committee 12:15–1:15 p.m. IA - G7 Audit Committee 12:15–1:30 p.m. IA - G16

KEY: IA = Irvine Auditorium HH = Houston Hall CCH = Claudia Cohen Hall

July 28–August 1, 2012 17 Awards Robert A. Millikan Medal The Robert A. Millikan Medal for 2012 is presented to Philip M. Sadler for his notable and creative contributions to the teaching of physics. Sadler’s work on student conceptions led to the production of the award-winning documentary series, “A Private Universe” and “Minds of Our Own,” with colleague Matthew Schneps, videos that continue to influence classroom practice. This work has also furthered scholarly knowledge on students’ understanding of physical science and astronomy. Sadler earned a BS in Physics from MIT in 1973 and taught middle school science and mathematics for several years before earning a PhD in education from Harvard in 1992. Sadler has taught Harvard’s courses for new science teachers and for the next generation of professors, doctoral students in science. As F. W. Wright Senior Lecturer in Astronomy, he teaches Harvard’s oldest undergraduate course in science, Celestial Navigation. Philip M. Sadler He directs one of the largest research groups in science education in the U.S., based at the Harvard-Smithsonian Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. In 1999, Sadler won the Journal of Research in Science Teaching Award for work on assess- Center for Astrophysics ing student understanding in science. His research interests include assessment of students’ scientific misconcep- Cambridge, MA tions and how they change as a result of instruction, the development of computer technologies that allow young- sters to engage in research, and models for enhancement of the skills of experienced teachers. Separating Facts From Sadler’s and Robert Tai’s (University of Virginia) landmark study on college physics success (Sci Ed 85:111-135, 2001) provided the first hard evidence that the way high school physics is taught makes a difference when stu- Fads: How Our Choices dents study physics in college. Over the past 30-plus years Phil has been a prolific contributor to both research and Impact Students’ Perfor- development related to physics and astronomy education. His contributions include the study of the high school mance and Persistence coursework and out-of-school-time activities on STEM persistence, the impact of teacher professional develop- in Physics ment, affective experiences of male and female physics students (with Zahra Hazari of Clemson University), and how teachers’ pedagogical decisions can make or break instruction. He won the Astronomical Society of the Pa- Wednesday, August 1 cific’s Brennan Prize for contributions to astronomy teaching in 2002. The American Astronomical Society awarded 11 a.m. –12:15 p.m. him their Education Prize for 2010. His invention, the Starlab Portable Planetarium, has enabled many schools to Inn at Penn – provide active learning experiences for students who are studying astronomy. Woodlands Ballroom The Robert A Millikan Medal, established in 1962, recognizes teachers who have made notable and creative contributions to the teaching of physics. The recipient is asked to make a presentation at the Ceremonial Session of an AAPT Summer Meeting. A monetary award, The Millikan Medal, an Award Certificate, and travel expenses to the meeting are presented to the recipient.

Paul W. Zitzewitz Excellence in Pre-College Teaching Award The Paul W. Zitzewitz Excellence in Pre-College Teaching Award for 2012 is presented to Mark D. Greenman in recognition of his career-long concern for and attention to quality education at the pre-college level. Greenman’s career included 30 years of service at Marblehead High School where he served as a physics teacher, teacher mentor, computer director, mathematics director, and science director. He earned his BA in Physics from Hofstra University and his MS in Physics from Syracuse University. Honors include induction into Sigma Pi Sima, the physics national honor society, and Kappa Mu Epsilon, the mathematics national honor society. Greenman has recently served for two years as an Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow at the National Science Foundation within the Divi- Mark D. Greenman sion of Undergraduate Education (2009-2011). He is a recipient of the 2009 Presidential Award for Excellence in Marblehead High School Mathematics and Science Teaching, the Massachusetts’ Council for Technology Education Path Finder Award, and Swampscot, MA the Massachusetts Association of Science Teachers (MAST) Teacher of the Year Award from Essex county. He is an inductee into the Massachusetts Hall of Fame for Science Educators. Interactive Laboratory Greenman is currently serving as science consultant to the Massachusetts’ “Race to the Top Developing Model Experiences (ILE) – A Pro- Curriculum & Curriculum Embedded Performance Assessments” initiative. He continues to provide, as recipient fessional Development of several grants from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, content institutes, Recipe for Success “Physics I: Mechanics and Energy,” and “Physics II: E&M and Waves.” The objectives of these institutes are to deepen content knowledge and improve the use of research-based pedagogy by Massachusetts’ science educators. Greenman also sits on the board of the newly formed American Council of STEM Educators (the ACSE is presently Monday, July 30 composed of former and current Einstein Fellows dedicated to making a positive impact in STEM teaching and 11 a.m. –12:10 p.m. learning on the National level). He also serves on the American Public Land-Grant University (APLU) Advisory Board for their Mathematics Teacher Education (MTE) Partnership initiative and is current president of the North Inn at Penn – Shore Science Supervisors Association. Greenman has been an AAPT Physics Teaching Resource Agent since 1985 Woodlands Ballroom and also shares best practices and his enthusiasm for teaching and learning through presentations and workshops at national and regional conferences.

Established as the Excellence in Pre-College Teaching Award in 1993 then renamed and endowed in 2010 by Paul W. and Barbara S. Zitzewitz, the Paul W. Zitzewitz Award for Excellence in Pre-College Physics Teaching recognizes 18 outstanding achievement in teaching pre-college physics. Awards David Halliday and Robert Resnick Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Physics Teaching

The 2012 David Halliday and Robert Resnick Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Physics Teaching Award is presented to Kevin M. Lee, in recognition of his contributions to undergraduate physics teaching and his extraordinary accomplishments in communicating the excitement of physics to students. John Wiley & Sons is the principal source of funding for this award. Lee is Research Associate Professor at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln Center for Science, Mathematics, and Computer Education and the Department of Physics and Astronomy. He earned his BS in Astronomy at the University of Michigan, MS at Central Michigan University, and his PhD in Physics and Astronomy at the Kevin M. Lee University of Nebraska. University of Nebraska Lee has dedicated himself to elevating the teaching and learning of astronomy and physics at the college, state, Lincoln Center for Science, national, and international level. He has distinguished himself as a college instructor and developer of instruc- Mathematics, and Com- tional technologies for use in space-science classrooms. The teaching and learning innovations pioneered by puter Education and the the astronomy education group run by Lee at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln is recognized as being of the Department of Physics and highest pedagogical value by those in the astronomy and space science community. Astronomy Beyond this work on the development of instructional strategies and tools that bridge the gap between cutting edge pedagogy and current technologies, Lee has also made significant contributions to AAPT programs leading to increased visibility of and participation in AAPT activities associated with teaching astronomy and the use of Letting Technology do technology. As a longtime member and two-year chair of the AAPT Committee on Space Science and Astrono- What Technology Is my (CSSA) he elevated the role of research and teaching of astronomy for the sessions/talks sponsored by CSSA. Good at Lee’s work in astronomy education has been remarkable and innovative. His accomplishments include the development of numerous simulations and peer instruction questions, resulting in many workshops. His two seminal Monday, July 30 works, to date, are The Nebraska Astronomy Applet Project and ClassAction, the clicker question database which is designed to help make large lecture-format astronomy courses more interactive. He freely shares these 11 a.m.–12:10 p.m. materials on his web site http://astro.unl.edu. Inn at Penn – Woodlands Ballroom Established as the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award in 1993; it was renamed and substantially endowed in 2010 by John Wiley and Sons. Named for David Halliday and Robert Resnick, authors of a very successful college-level textbook in introductory physics, the award recognizes outstanding achievement in teaching undergraduate physics. The recipient delivers an address at an AAPT Summer Meeting and receives a monetary award, an Award Certificate, a copy of the citation, and travel expenses to the meeting.

2012 AIP Science Communication Award: Writing for Children – Pat Murphy

The Science Communication Awards of the American Institute of Physics (AIP) were founded in 1968 to promote effective science communication in order to improve the general public’s appreciation of physics, astronomy, and allied science fields. Winning authors receive a prize of $3,000, an engraved Windsor chair, and a certificate of recognition. The 2012 award in the Writing for Children category goes to Pat Murphy for her book The Klutz Guide to the Galaxy. Like other Klutz books, this winning entry comes with the tools children need to experiment and explore. Pat was a senior writer at the Exploratorium, San Francisco’s museum of science, art, and human perception. Today, Pat writes and manages the creation of science books and products for Klutz. She Pat Murphy also is an award-winning science fiction and fantasy author.

AAPT Awards nominations are accepted online at http://www.aapt.org/Programs/awards/

July 28–August 1, 2012 19 AAPT Distinguished Service Citations Wednesday, August 1, 11 a.m.–12:15 p.m. • Inn at Penn – Woodlands Ballroom Eugenia Etkina Eugenia Etkina started her teaching career as a high school physics teacher in Moscow, Russia, where she taught for 13 years before coming to the U.S. In 1995-1997 she taught physics courses for at-risk students at Rutgers University. In 1997 she received her PhD in physics education from Moscow State Pedagogical University and was appointed an assistant professor at the Rutgers University Graduate School of Educa- tion. She became a full professor in 2010 and is now chair of the Department of Learning and Teaching in the GSE. She runs one of the largest programs in physics teacher preparation in the United States. She is a co-creator of the Investigative Science Learning Environment (ISLE) and Physics Union Mathematics (PUM)—physics learning systems used in college and 8-12 schools. Eugenia Etkina An AAPT member since 1997, she has served AAPT on the Focus Group on the Draft Framework, as chair of the Committee on Teacher Preparation, as a member of the Nominating Committee, and as a member of the National Task Force on Teacher Education in Physics. She is currently chair of the Physics Education Research Leadership Organizing Council (PERLOC). She has also conducted more than 15 workshops for AAPT members at the national meetings. In addition, Etkina has been recognized with the 2012 New Jersey Distinguished Faculty Showcase of Exemplary Practices Award, 2011 Rutgers University Graduate School of Education Alumni Association Outstanding Faculty Teaching Award, 2010 Rutgers University Warren I Susman Award for Excellent Teaching, and the 2007 Rutgers University Graduate School of Education Alumni Association Outstanding Faculty Research Award.

Jose D. Garcia J. D. Garcia is Professor of Physics Emeritus at the University of Arizona, Tucson. Throughout his career, his research interests included time-dependent quantum models for collisions, quantum electrodynamics, physics education research, and improving science teacher education. He earned his PhD in Physics at the University of Wisconsin. His career has included a Fulbright Scholarship in Germany, and a NORDITA Fellowship in Sweden. Garcia is a Fellow of the APS and was the recipient of the APS’ Bouchet Award. He has served as a Program Officer in the Division of Undergraduate Education at the National Science Foundation, was the Charter President of the National Society of Hispanic Physicists (NSHP), and has just finished a term as President of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanas and Native Americans J. D. Garcia in Science (SACNAS). A long-time member of AAPT, Garcia has served as a member of the Committee on Professional Concerns, Committee on Minorities in Physics, Committee on Undergraduate Phys- ics, and the Meetings Committee. He has also served on several task force groups: as a member of the National Task Force on Undergraduate Physics (SPIN-UP), the Joint AAPT-APS Task Force on Graduate Education, and recently on the Task Force on Teacher Education in Physics (TTEP). A life member of the Arizona Section of AAPT, he has coordinated the meetings of the Tucson Area Physics Teachers (TAPT), for more than 20 years, and is still active in promoting physics outreach efforts in Tucson.

Chandralekha Singh Chandralekha Singh earned her BS and MS in Physics at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, and her MA and PhD in Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara. A Life Member of AAPT, Singh has served as a member of the Committee on International Physics Education, Committee on Graduate Education in Physics, and the Programs Committee. Her work in physics education research has produced high-quality papers that have been published in journals such as the American Journal of Physics, Physics Today, and Physical Review. Singh co-edited three Physics Education Research Confer- ence (PERC) proceedings and the May 2010 theme issue of American Journal of Physics focusing on the Gordon Conference on Experimental Research and Labs in Physics Education. Chandralekha Singh Singh’s pioneering research in the teaching and learning of quantum mechanics has played a significant role in advancing physics education research in advanced courses. In addition to educational research in advanced courses, she has conducted research on cognitive issues in learning physics and improving student problem solving and reasoning skills. For a decade, she has conducted workshops at the national AAPT meetings on “What every physics teacher should know about cognitive research” and on “Strate- gies to help women succeed in physics related professions.” She has conducted workshops at the national and regional AAPT meetings on “Quantum Interactive Learning Tutorials.” Singh has conducted workshops on teaching quantum mechanics during New Faculty workshops. She is also the co-organizer of the first conference on Graduate Education in Physics.

Established in 1953, Distinguished Service Citations are presented to AAPT members in recognition of their 20 exceptional contributions to AAPT at the national, sectional, or local level. Plenaries APS Division of Biophysics Plenary Session Monday, July 30, 1:30–3 p.m. • Inn at Penn – Woodlands Ballroom

Birds, Brains, and Physics – The Fascinating Field of Biological Physics Schools of fish, flocks of birds, and stampeding elephants are examples of phenomena from the natural living world that can be described using the tools of physics. Biological physics is a rapidly developing field of research that lies at the boundaries of physics, chemistry, and biology, and seeks to contribute to our understanding of life. Professor William Bialek from the Physics Department at Princeton University uses statistical mechanics to describe a wide range of living phenomena, from amino acids in a protein molecule to networks of neurons to birds in flight. Professor Dezhe Jin from the Physics Department at Penn State University studies how complex bird songs, which share many common features with human speech, are controlled by the emergent dynamics of neurons in brains of songbirds. Understanding how birds sing will help to resolve the language-centric William Bialek pathways in the brain. – Statistical Physics Approaches to Real Biological Systems, William Bialek, Princeton University William Bialek is the John Archibald Wheeler/Battelle Professor in Physics at Princeton University. He also is a member of the multidisciplinary Lewis–Sigler Institute. In addition to his responsibilities at Princeton, he is Visiting Presidential Professor of Physics at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, where he is helping to launch an Initiative for the Theoretical Sciences. He attended the University of California at Berkeley, receiving the AB (1979) and PhD (1983) degrees in Biophysics. Af- ter post-doctoral appointments at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen in the Netherlands and at the Institute for Theoretical Physics in Santa Barbara, he returned to Berkeley to join the faculty in 1986. In late 1990 he moved to the newly formed NEC Research Institute (now the NEC Laboratories) in Princeton, where he eventually became an Institute Fellow. Professor Bialek’s research interests have ranged over a wide variety of theoretical problems at the interface of physics and biology, from the dynamics of individual Dezhe Jin biological molecules to learning and cognition. – The Emergent Neural Dynamics of Bird Song Syntax, Dezhe Z. Jin, Penn State University Dezhe Z. Jin is an associate professor of physics at the Pennsylvania State University. He earned a BS and MS in Physics at Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, and his PhD at the University of California, San Diego in 1999. He was awarded an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, 2006-2008. His research has focused on theoretical analysis of the biophysical properties of neural networks; this includes their application to computational models of neurobiological functions such as song generation and recognition in songbirds, motor control in basal ganglia, olfaction in insects and mammals, and feature selectivity and map formation in visual cortex. The theoretical modeling is done in close collaboration with experimental groups. Consisting of a large number of intricately connected neurons, the brain is one of the most sophisticated dynamical systems in nature. Understanding how the brain computes is at the forefront of current scientific research. Space-Time, Quantum Mechanics and the Large Hadron Collider – Nima Arkani-Hamed Tuesday, July 31, 3:30–4:30 p.m. • Inn at Penn - Woodlands Ballroom

Nima Arkani-Hamed is a theorist with wide-ranging interests in fundamental physics, from quantum field theory and string theory to cosmology and collider physics. Formerly on the faculty at Berkeley and Harvard, he has been a professor in the school of natural sciences at the Institute for Advanced Study since 2008. He has taken a lead in proposing new physical theories that can be Nima Arkani-Hamed tested at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzerland. University of California, Berkeley, PhD, 1997; SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Postdoctoral Fellow 1997–99; University of California, Berkeley, Assistant Professor 1999–2001, Associate Professor 2001; Harvard University, Visiting Professor 2001–02, Professor 2002–07; Institute for Advanced Study, Professor 2008–; Sloan Fellowship 2000–02; Packard Fellowship 2000–05; American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Member; European Physical Society, Gribov Medal 2003; Raymond and Beverly Sackler Prize in Physics 2008.

July 28–August 1, 2012 21 Sizing Up the Universe – J. Richard Gott Tuesday, July 31, 11 a.m.–12 p.m. • Inn at Penn – Woodlands Ballroom J. Richard Gott is a professor of astrophysical sciences at Princeton University is noted for his contributions to cosmology and general relativity. He has received the Robert J. Trumpler Award, an Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship, the Astronomical League Award, and Princeton’s President’s Award for Distinguished Teaching. He was for many years Chair of the Judges for the Westinghouse and Intel Science Talent Search. His paper “On the Infall of Matter into Clusters of Galaxies and Some J. Richard Gott Effects on Their Evolution,” co-authored with Jim Gunn, has received over 1500 citations. He proposed that the clustering pattern of galaxies in the universe should be spongelike—a prediction now confirmed by numerous surveys. He discovered exact solutions to Einstein’s field equations for the gravitational field around one cosmic string (in 1985) and two moving cosmic strings (in 1991). This second solution has been of particular interest because, if the strings move fast enough, at nearly the speed of light, time travel to the past can occur. His paper with Li-Xin Li, “Can the Universe Create Itself?” explores the idea of how the laws of physics may permit the universe to be its own mother. His book Time Travel in Einstein’s Universe was selected by Booklist as one of four “Editors’ Choice” science books for 2001. He has published papers on map projections in Carto- graphica. His picture has appeared Time, Newsweek, and The New York Times. He wrote an article on time travel for Time magazine as part of its cover story on the future (April 10, 2000). His and Mario Juric’s Map of the Universe appeared in The New York Times (Jan. 13, 2004), New Scientist, and Astronomy. Gott and Juric are in Guinness World Records 2006 for finding the largest structure in the universe: the Sloan Great Wall of Galaxies (1.37 billion light years long). Gott’s Copernican argument for space colonization was the subject of an article in The New York Times (July 17, 2007).

J. Richard Gott will be available for a book signing of his book Sizing Up the Universe

Tuesday, July 31, 12:15-1:15 p.m. • Inn at Penn (copies of the book will be available for sale) Ben Franklin Performance • Come and meet this famous Philadelphian. • Explore his thoughts. • Share his observations. • Experience the essence of his being.

…and don’t forget to take a picture with him!

Monday, July 30 5:30 - 7 p.m. CCH - Claudia Cohen Terrace

22 Free Commercial Workshops

CW01: Expert TA Commercial Workshop sics. Use the new LabQuest 2 interface and see its large color touch screen Location: Sheraton - University Suite with the upated LabQuest App. Collect data on an iPad, with a LabQuest 2 Date: Tuesday, July 31 serving its data to Graphical Analysis. Next, analyze and store the experi- Time: 12–1 p.m. ment with Graphical Analysis for the iPad. Collect data in a browser, with a Sponsor: Expert TA LabQuest 2 serving its data, and then analyze the data right in the browser. The browser can be on an Android tablet, or even your own smart phone. Leader: Jeremy Morton Collect data with the new Vernier Diffraction Apparatus, and see just Expert TA is a commercial online homework and tutorial system for intro- how easy it is to map out intensity for single-slit and double-slit patterns. ductory-level physics courses. It was designed to grade problems the way Fire the new Vernier Projectile Launcher. Check out Malus with the new instructors do; considering more than just a student’s final answer. Solving Vernier Polarizer/Analyzer Kit for our Optics Expansion Kit. Add mirrors physics problems involves numerous steps such as applying equations, to your optics experiments with the Mirror Set for Optics Expansion Kit. drawing free-body diagrams, etc; to solve for numeric answers. Expert TA’s Page through the new Advanced Physics with Vernier-Beyond Mechanics problems are all multi-step and involve these aspects of problem solving. book. With a sophisticated math engine, Expert TA is able to grade student equations in detail, in a manner similar to how you or your TA would. It identi- fies detailed mistakes with equations, deducts points, and provides specific CW04: Pearson Commercial Workshop feedback. In Homework Mode, students are provided with a detailed Location: Inn at Penn - Regents/St. Marks grade report after the assignment due date. In Tutorial mode, students can access hints, and feedback is provided instantaneously. Expert TA has Date: Monday, July 30 partners with talented professors, leaders in physics education, to develop Time: 12:15–1:15 p.m. a rich library of original problems. Users of Expert TA have discovered Sponsor: Pearson the power of detailed/sophisticated grading over simple right vs. wrong Leader: Paul Hewitt grading. Instructors are provided with a much more accurate assessment of a student’s work and students are provided with feedback required to help Please join us for a discussion with Pearson author Paul Hewitt regarding them master concepts. Join us and learn how Expert TA can help you and his textbooks in conceptual physics, physical science and integrated science your students. as well as Mastering Physics.

CW02: Pearson Commercial Workshop CW05: Klinger Educational Products Corp. Location: Inn at Penn - Regents/St. Marks Location: Sheraton - University Suite Date: Tuesday, July 31 Date: Monday, July 30 Time: 12:30–1:30 p.m. Time: 12:15–1:15 p.m. Sponsor: Pearson Sponsor: Klinger Educational Products Leader: Eugenia Etkina Leader: Walter Luhs Eugenia Etkina (Rutgers University, Graduate School of Education – GSE) Open Frame Helium Neon Laser —The humble HeNe Laser is still impor- was born and educated in Russia, where she was awarded her PhD in Phys- tant for education in Photonics. We demonstrate an open cavity training ics Education from Moscow State Pedagogical University. She has 30 years system with components like the HeNe tube with Brewster windows on of physics teaching experience (teaching middle school, high school, and sides, the two cavity mirrors and line tuning elements are placed onto the university physics). In 1993 she developed a system in which students learn optical rail. The basic alignment is demonstrated and the beam diameter physics using processes that mirror scientific practice. That approach was inside the cavity is measured to verify the nature of Gaussian beams. By enriched when she began collaborating with Alan Van Heuvelen in 2000 means of a Littrow prism the line tuning is demonstrated. The power of the and now is known as Investigative Science Learning Environment (ISLE). laser is determined by measuring the current of the provided photodiode. Since 2000, Professors Etkina and Van Heuvelen have developed curricula Cleaning of optical components is trained as well as the proper use of based on ISLE, conducted over 60 workshops for physics instructors, and sensitive optical components. Diode Pumped Solid State Laser (DPSSL) published The Active Learning Guide (second edition available from Pear- Step by step the modules needed for a DPSSL using a Nd:YAG crystal son in January 2013). Please join Prof. Etkina for a discussion on the ISLE will be explained and arranged on an optical rail. Spectroscopic measure- method and how it can be put into practice in your classroom using the ments of the Nd:YAG are performed. The operation of a the Nd:YAG new textbook, College Physics, by Etkina, Gentile, and Van Heuvelen. laser with demonstration of the so called “spiking” is shown by means of an oscilloscope. Frequency doubling to visible green radiation and the stability criteria of the optical cavity is verified. Higher transverse modes are demonstrated and the reduction to the TEM00 mode is performed by CW03: Vernier Software: New Data Collection Tools for Physics using an intra-cavity iris. Glass Fibre Optics Within this hands on training the stripping and cutting of a telecom optical fiber will be learned. Location: Inn at Penn - Regents/St. Marks Date: Tuesday, July 31 Time: 4:30–6:30 p.m. CW06: Physics2000.com Workshop in Introductory Physics Sponsor: Vernier Software & Technology Location: Houston Hall - Golkin Leaders: David Vernier Date: Monday, July 30 John Gastineau, Matt Athes-Washburn Time: 12:15–1:15 p.m. Sponsor: Physics2000.com Vernier Software: New Data Collection Tools for Physics, including LabQuest 2 — Attend this hands-on, drop-in workshop to learn about LabQuest 2 Leader: Elisha Huggins and other new data collection tools from Vernier Software & Technology. If Come to the popular Physics2000 workshop where you learn how to in- you need an overview of data collection, we’ll be happy to show you the ba- clude 20th century physics in the basic Introductory Physics course.

July 28–August 1, 2012 23 AAPT Exhibitor Information

American Association of Arbor Scientific homework system, provides partial credit Physics Teachers grading of the most complex of math and Booth #103 Hall of Flags physics programs by analyzing the steps of P.O. Box 2750 HH - Reading Room solving equations, identifying detailed mis- Ann Arbor, MI 48106 takes and deducting the appropriate points. One Physics Ellipse 800-367-6695 This method allows Professors to accurately College Park, MD 20740 [email protected] evaluate the mastery of student knowledge. 301-209-3300 www.arborsci.com [email protected] www.aapt.org For over 25 years, Arbor Scientific has worked Iowa Doppler Products Join us at the AAPT booth to spin the prize with physics and physical science teachers to develop educational science supplies, science Booth #211 Bodek wheel for your chance to win some amazing P.O. Box 2132 gifts! Additionally, we have a large selection of instruments, and physics lab equipment that make learning fun for students in elementary Iowa City, IA 52244 educational resources available to meet your 319-338-0836 needs. Pick up copies of AAPT’s informational grades through college. Stop by our Booth and try the most fascinating, dynamic, hands-on [email protected] brochures on some of the leading education http://iowadoppler.com programs such as PTRA and the U.S. Physics methods that demonstrate key concepts and Team. Find out about some of our fun online principles of physics and chemistry. We find Iowa Doppler Products (IDP) will be showing physics demos and lessons from ComPADRE. the Cool Stuff! an array of physics experiments that can be Check out the latest and greatest items from done with our new Sound Heads and associ- the Physics Store catalog including publica- Audio Visual Imagineering ated equipment. Experiments include: Speed tions, gifts, AAPT-branded merchandise, and of Sound, Elastic Properties of Solids, Acous- as always, a limited collection of Member-On- Booth #202 Bodek tic Refraction, Acoustic Diffraction, Acoustic ly items. Items will be available for purchase 6565 Hazeltine National Drive, Suite 2 Etalons, and Acousto-Optics. at the booth. Lastly, do not forget to stop by to Orlando, FL 32822 learn more about the annual book giveaway 407-859-8166 It’s About Time Interactive and book signings! [email protected] www.av-imagineering.com Booth #203 Bodek 89 Business Park Drive Audio Visual Imagineering, Inc. (AVI) American Physical Armonk, NY 10504 provides theater design services, equipment, Society 914-273-2233 programs and shows for planetariums. AVI [email protected] Booths #214, 215 Bodek offers Uniview to show real information and http://www.its-about-time.com/ One Physics Ellipse real science as it is gathered by experts around the world. AVI also provides dome manufac- College Park, MD 20740 It’s About Time is a leading educational turing and installation, digital planetarium 301-209-3200 publisher of middle and high school inquiry- projectors, digital surround sound systems, [email protected] based science and math programs supported www.aps.org cove lighting systems, full-dome laser systems, by the National Science Foundation. Our production suites and seating. The American Physical Society has resources challenge/project-driven programs increase for every physics educator! Faculty can learn student achievement because they motivate about APS education and diversity programs. Educational Innovations and engage, develop critical thinking, give Teachers can register for our middle school students the skills to work collaboratively, and Booths #100, 101 Hall of Flags the ability to apply what they have learned. science adventure, adopt physicists for your 5 Francis J. Clarke Circle high school class, learn about minority schol- Bethel, CT 06801 arships, pick up free posters, and much more. 203-229-0730 Klinger Educational [email protected] Products Corp. American 3B Scientific www.teachersource.com Booth #114 Hall of Flags Booth #110 Hall of Flags Educational Innovations, Inc.—teacher owned 112-19 14th Road 2189 Flintstone Drive, Unit O and operated! Committed to bringing you College Point, NY 11356 Tucker, GA 30084 SUPER, WOW, NEAT! Science supplies, 718-461-1822 678-405-5606 guaranteed to make your colleagues, students, [email protected] [email protected] or grandkids sit up and take notice! Our prod- www.KlingerEducational.com www.A3BS.com ucts bring out the scientist in everyone—we Make Science Sizzle! The Klinger Booth will have three Pho- Visit 3B Scientific’s Booth (#110) for innova- tonic setups, HeNe open cavity laser, Diode tive physics products designed to inspire Pumped (Nd:Yag) laser and Glass Fiber optics, students, release their creative spirits, and The Expert TA all designed for investigations by students challenge their critical thinking skills. Come Booth #204 Bodek of laser properties. Klinger Educational will check out our STEM-focused experiments, al- 624 South Boston Avenue, Suite 220 also be exhibiting a functioning Analytical ternative energy products, and 3B’s unrivaled Tulsa, OK 74119 X-ray machine, capable of using six different line of Teltron® electron tubes and atomic spin 877-572-0734 X-ray tubes. With the built-in Goniometer resonance devices. Go one step further... and [email protected] and Energy Detector, we will be performing find what you’re looking for! www.theexpertta.com experiments in X-ray fluorescence, X-ray energy spectroscopy and many others. Klinger/ The Expert TA, a Physics online tutorial and 24 Leybold’s newest development, Tomography Compression Igniter, Bicycle Gyroscope, Ad- The Science Source module, will be demonstrated. This unit works justable Focal Length Lens, and new economi- with the X-ray machine, recording a 2D image cal Projectile Launcher. Booth #213 Bodek while a computer generates a 3D-object. 299 Atlantic Highway Pearson Waldoboro, ME 04572 Laser Classroom 800-299-5469 Booths #108, 109 Hall of Flags [email protected] Booth #210 Bodek 1 Lake Street www.thesciencesource.com 1419 Main Street NE Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458 The Science Source Company and Daedalon Minneapolis, MN 55413 201-236-5888 have been committed to fostering science 612-789-5010 [email protected] literacy for over 25 years. From our facility in www.pearsonhighered.com [email protected] Maine, we design, develop, and manufacture www.laserclassroom.com As the number one publisher in physics and innovative experimental apparatus for all lev- Come meet LASER Classroom—a new astronomy, with market-leading textbooks and els of learners and instructors, in nearly every company whose mission is Bringing STEM the most widely used and most educationally subject of scientific inquiry. to Light! We create safe, engaging, affordable proven physics homework, tutorial and assess- products and STEM-integrated curriculum ment system available, our goal is to partner Sci-Supply around Light, LASERS and Photonics. We will with instructors, authors, and students to create introduce LASER Blox: the magnetic, stackable, content and tools that take the educational Booth #212 Bodek hands free laser designed with teaching and experience forward. 1530 Bender Avenue learning in mind! Hamilton, OH 45011 Physics2000.com 800-975-5612 Modus Medical [email protected] Booth #205 Bodek www.sci-supply.com Booth #206 Bodek 29 Moose Mt. Lodge Road Sci-Supply offers a wide variety of hands-on 1570 North Routledge Park Etna, NH 03750 physics and physical science products. We London, ONT Canada N6H 5L6 603-643-2877 provide educators with unique and innovative 519-438-2409 [email protected] products at affordable prices. We will have www.physics2000.com [email protected] our full line of CROOKES CATHODE RAY www.deskcat.com In the May 2012 The Physics Teacher, page 305, TUBES on display, so make sure to stop by DeskCAT, the Multislice CT Scanner for we placed an ad announcing Physics2012, the and visit us at Booth 212! Education. Ideal for physics classrooms and second edition of the calculus-based version of labs, DeskCAT includes a unique scanner, Physics2000. We promised that it would have Society of Physics Students software and three student labs (additional labs an Epilog on advances in physics and astrono- available) for a hands-on approach to learning my that occurred since 1998, when we finished Hall of Flags Balcony medical imaging. See a live demo and learn writing the earlier text. At the Physics2000. One Physics Ellipse more at Modus Medical Devices, Booth 206. com booth we plan to supply preprints of the College Park, MD 20740 Epilog sections on dark energy and inflation, 301-209-3008 NADA Scientific and we expect to demonstrate vacuum energy [email protected] and negative pressure using equipment that www.spsnational.org Booth #201 Bodek would be familiar to Benjamin Franklin. SPS is the Society of Physics Students, along 39 Butternut Street with the associated honor society of physics, Champlain, NY 12919 Piazza Sigma Pi Sigma. Both are chapter-based orga- 518-297-3208 nizations committed to the pursuit of physics [email protected] Booth #200 Bodek and service to both the physics community www.NADASCIENTIFIC.com 541 D Cooper Street and the larger society. Through its donors, Palo Alto, CA 94301 and through its parent organization, the NADA Scientific is your source for hands-on 650-714-9171 physics instruments for educational science American Institute of Physics, SPS supports [email protected] scholarships, research awards, physics project labs. Come discover the Static Genecon and www.piazza.com related experiments, Van de Graaff Unit, awards, and outreach awards for under- Crookes Tube, Electrostatic Field Apparatus, Piazza is a free online Q&A platform built graduates. SPS supports a Summer Science BeeSpiV, GENECON12 hand generator, and to replace less effective discussion boards Research Clearinghouse, where thousands of more at Booth # 201. commonly adopted in classrooms. It was summer research positions are listed, at www. made popular by widespread use at Stanford, the-nucleus.org, as part of the physics digital PASCO scientific Harvard, Princeton, and MIT. Today it is used library, ComPADRE. In addition, a Science by hundreds of thousands of students every Outreach Clearinghouse is also supported via Booths #112, 113 Hall of Flags term. Piazza saves you time and improves your www.the-nucleus.org. 10101 Foothills Blvd. interactions with students. Roseville, CA 95747 800-772-8700 [email protected] www.pasco.com

Come see how PASCO can meet any of your physics teaching needs. Try our new innovative physics apparatus: Projection Color Mixer, July 28–August 1, 2012 25 Spectrum Techniques W.H. Freeman & SHARED BOOK EXHIBIT Company Booth #115 Hall of Flags Take a look at the books exhibited Union Valley Road Booth #102 Hall of Flags near the AAPT booth. Oak Ridge, TN 37830 41 Madison Avenue 865-482-9937 Harvard University Press New York, NY 10010 [email protected] 212-576-9400 www.spectrumtechniques.com • A Short History of Physics in the [email protected] American Century, David C. Spectrum Techniques, the leading supplier www.whfreeman.com/physics Cassidy of nuclear counting equipment and Exempt W.H. Freeman & Company Publishers works Quantity radioisotopes, is pleased to announce • 101 Quantum Questions, Ken- with instructors, authors, and students to new application software for Windows 64-bit neth W. Ford enhance the physics teaching and learning and Macintosh OS-X operating systems. All experience. We are pleased to offer innovative • The 50 Most Extreme Places in of our current instruments are now compat- electronic and multimedia learning solutions ible with the latest Windows and Macintosh Our Solar System, David Baker in addition to our carefully developed, best computers. Visit us at Booth 115. selling physics and astronomy titles. Please visit Booth #102 or www.whfreeman.com/ Rutgers University Press Texas Instruments physics to learn more. • Physics: The First Science, Peter Booth #208 Bodek Lindenfeld, Suzanne White P.O. Box 650311, MS 3821 WebAssign Brahmia Dallas, TX 75265 Booth #111 Hall of Flags 800-ti-cares 1791 Varsity Drive, Suite 200 [email protected] Raleigh, NC 27606 www.education.ti.com 919-829-8181 Wiley Supporting each educator’s vision of student [email protected] www.webassign.net Booths #105, 107 Hall of Flags success in math and science, TI’s versatile 111 River Street education technology, curricular support ma- WebAssign, the independent online homework Hoboken, NJ 07030 terials and professional development can help and assessment solution, now supports both 201-748-6518 educators create an experience that enhances lecture and lab courses. With pre-coded ques- [email protected] teaching and learning. Visit education.ti.com. tions from 140 leading physics and astronomy www.wiley.com titles from every major publisher, and the abil- Stop by Booth #105/107 for your personal Vernier Software & ity to write your own, WebAssign makes online tour of WileyPLUS. It’s not just another homework easy to manage. Stop by Booth 111 Technology homework system...come see why! Wiley- to learn more. PLUS helps convert more students from pas- Booths #104, 106 Hall of Flags sive to active learners by providing instructors 13979 SW Millikan Way with gradable assessment consisting of not Beaverton, OR 97005 just homework but also reading and other 503-277-2299 content-related activities and by providing [email protected] www.vernier.com students with a more engaging study experience including integrated reading activities Vernier Software & Technology has been (concept, example and practice) along with producing data-collection hardware and homework and other more interactive fea- software for 31 years. Stop by our booth to see tures like math help, simulations and videos our new LabQuest 2, the heart of our Con- as well as a student initiated progress check. nected Science System, and our other great new products. You can also enter to win your own LabQuest 2.

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July 28–August 1, 2012 29 illustrate how to use the materials not only in college and high school phys- Workshops – Saturday, July 28 ics courses but also in courses for future physics teachers to have an explicit All workshops are held at the University of Pennsylvania, Physics emphasis on using the processes of science and various cognitive strategies. Department building * Participants who own laptops should bring them to the workshop. The computer should have Quicktime installed. If you do not own a computer, you will be paired with somebody who does. W01: Building ScientificA pparatus and Invention Prototypes Sponsor: Committee on Laboratories W04: Make, Take, and Do: Homemade Physics Equipment Co-sponsor: Committee on Apparatus Sponsor: Committee on Apparatus Time: 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturday Co-sponsor: Committee on Physics in High Schools Member Price: $105 non-Member Price: $130 Time: 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturday Location: 3N9 Member Price: $95 non-Member Price: $120 Randy Tagg, University of Colorado Denver, PO Box 173364, Denver, CO Location: 3N17 80217-3364; [email protected] Tom Senior, 355 Dell Lane, Highland Park, IL 60035-5310; A variety of resources and skills are needed to build scientific appara- [email protected] tus and to develop prototypes for inventions. These include mechanical Pat Callahan, George Amann, Al Gibson design, use of motors and other actuators, analog and digital electronics, A chance to make apparatus tested and approved by the PTRAs over the and optics. Learning such skills is an excellent way to merge physics with years of the program. We will make a Soda Can Van de Graaff, a holiday real-world applications and to widen the realm of experiments achievable light circuit puzzle, a color addition Ping Pong ball, a pendulum wave by students and teachers. The workshop will give a “grand tour” of the machine for the desk or overhead, a homopolar motor, and several other practical knowledge for such prototyping and point to pathways for further items. Brush up on some simple soldering and other skills useful in the development, including ideas about how to incorporate such training physics class. All items will be easily transported home. into curriculum at both high school and college levels. Examples will be drawn from student and teacher research projects as well as experience in running a community prototyping center. Participants are encouraged to W05: Physics By Design contribute some of their own prototyping objectives for discussion. Sponsor: Committee on Physics in Pre-High School Education Time: 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturday W02: Grant Writing Member Price: $108 non-Member Price: $133 Sponsor: Committee on Research in Physics Education Location: 3N15 Co-sponsor: Committee on Professional Concerns Julia Olson, Math and Science Teacher Education & Retention Industry Time: 8 a.m.– 5 p.m. Saturday Partnerships (MASTER-IP) Program, The University of Arizona College of Member Price: $80 non-Member Price: $105 Education, Tucson, AZ 85721; [email protected] Location: Computer Lab What is understanding? What is the relationship between knowledge and Paula Engelhardt, Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, TN understanding? What does “teaching for understanding” look like in the 38505; [email protected] physics classroom? How can we implement reformed teaching along with new standards? These and other important questions will be explored Ellie Sayre, Warren Christensen as participants design, develop, and refine a cohesive unit plan based on This workshop is intended for individuals who are in their last year of the principles found in Understanding by Design (UbD). In the UbD graduate school, in a post-doctoral position, or are new faculty members. classroom, there are high expectations and incentives for all students The workshop will focus on navigating the National Science Foundation while exploration of big ideas and essential questions is differentiated, (NSF) website, finding alterative funding sources such as Fund for the so students who are able delve more deeply into the subject matter than Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) and state and local others. This workshop is appropriate for instructors from pre-high school funding agencies, and preparing the grant proposal. Tips and suggestions through college levels. Participants will receive a copy of UbD, 2nd Ed. for developing ideas and seeing them through to the development of the Note: participants are strongly encouraged to bring their own laptops to grant proposal will be discussed. Participants are encouraged to bring with the workshop. them grant ideas to discuss with the group. W06: PIRA Lecture Demonstration I W03: Learning Physics While Practicing Science Sponsor: Committee on Apparatus Sponsor: Committee on Physics in Undergraduate Education Time: 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturday Co-sponsor: Committee on Physics in Two-Year Colleges Member Price: $115 non-Member Price: $140 Time: 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturday Location: A1 Member Price: $95 non-Member Price: $120 Dale Stille and Sam Sampere, Rm 58, Van Allen Hall, Dept. of Physics and Location: 3W5 Astronomy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242 Eugenia Etkina, Rutgers University, 10 Seminary Place, New Brunswick, NJ 08901; [email protected] Topics in this workshop cover the standard first semester of physics instruction from Mechanics to Thermal. It is taught by an experienced team David Brookes, Alan Van Heuvelen of lecture demonstrators. The format allows for and encourages interplay Participants* will learn how to modify introductory physics courses to help between instructors and participants. It is recommended that both Lecture students acquire a good conceptual foundation, apply this knowledge effec- Demonstrations 1 and 2 be taken as this will cover the complete year of tively in problem solving, and develop the science process abilities needed demonstrations needed for a typical course. The demonstrations used for real life work. We provide tested curriculum materials including: The and exhibited will be based on, but not limited to, the PIRA top 200 list of Physics Active Learning Guide with 30 or more activities per textbook chap- demonstrations. See http://www.pira-online.org for more info on this list. ter for use with any textbook in lectures, recitations and homework; (b) a Please note that this workshop is intended to expose as many demonstra- website with over 200 videotaped experiments and associated questions tions and ideas as possible to the participants. Since we will be doing for use in lectures, recitations, laboratories, and homework; and (c) a set approximately 100 demos during this workshop, time restraints DO NOT of labs with inexpensive equipment that can be used to construct, test and allow for extensive or in-depth discussions of each demonstration. We will apply concepts to solve practical problems. During the workshop we will make every effort to answer all questions and concerns.

30 W08: LivePhoto Physics: Advanced Projects with Video with Video Analysis book and CD, and Teaching Physics with the Physics Suite Analysis by E.F. Redish. Partially supported by the National Science Foundation. Sponsor: Committee on Educational Technologies Time: 8 a.m.–12 p.m. Saturday W12: Teaching Physics in Urban Schools Member Price: $60 non-Member Price: $85 Sponsor: Committee on Minorities in Physics Location: 3W2 Time: 8 a.m.–12 p.m. Saturday Aaron Titus, High Point University, 833 Montlieu Ave., High Point, NC 27262; Member Price: $70 non-Member Price: $95 [email protected] Location: 3N12

Bob Teese, Pat Cooney Dan Smith, Dept. of Biological and Physical Sciences, South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, SC 29115; [email protected] Video analysis is now being used in many ways in introductory physics courses. For example, teachers and students have been analyzing their Katemari Rosa, Columbia University; Katya Denisova, Baltimore City Public own high-speed videos or determining whether various YouTube videos Schools; Angela M. Kelly, Stony Brook University or animated games such as Angry Birds are realistic. Many exciting new Urban educators who have taught high school physics in some of the uses of video analysis require advanced techniques. In this workshop, toughest environments in the U.S. (New York City and Baltimore, MD) will participants will learn how to capture video segments from games and how share their challenges and successes in this workshop. Workshop partici- to use advanced features in Tracker or Logger Pro video analysis software. pants will be presented with activities that have engaged student interest Advanced techniques include measuring relative motion, compensating for as well as the strategies for developing their own activities. In addition, a panning and zooming, or dealing with non-standard frame rates. (Famil- panel presentation will serve as the springboard for a discussion of extra- iarity with basic video analysis is assumed.) curricula difficulties and how to confront them.

W09: CASTLE Workshop – Model Building Investigations W13: Using FPGAs in the Digital Lab

of Electromagnetic Field Production and Transformer Sponsor: Committee on Laboratories Operation Co-Sponsor: Committee on Apparatus Time: 8 a.m.–12 p.m. Saturday Sponsor: Committee on Physics in High Schools Member Price: $70 non-Member Price: $95 Time: 8 a.m.–12 p.m. Saturday Location: 3N16 Member Price: $85 non-Member Price: $110 Location: 3C8 Kurt Wick, University of Minnesota, 116 Church St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455; [email protected] Dick Feren, 421 Webster St., Manchester, NH 03104; [email protected] As part of an advanced lab course students are exposed to the basics of Participants will explore complex concepts using simple equipment in analog and digital electronics. In the last few years the physical implemen- straightforward experiments designed to promote image-based under- tation of digital circuits has moved away from the traditional application standing of electromagnetic field concepts that are usually developed specific standard products (ASSPs), such as the 4000 or 7400 series chips, mathematically. These include using a portable radio to detect an electric toward Field Programmable Gate-Arrays (FPGAs) and Complex Program- field radiated by accelerating charge when a current is turned on or off; us- mable Logic Devices (CPLDs). This workshop covers the experience of ing shaped-wire circuits to show that magnetic fields of turned-on current converting the three-week digital logic lab segment of an advanced lab contain energy that radiation carries to the radio; using a transformer with course from ASSPs towards FPGAs. Educational hardware and software, a variable iron core as a dimmer and brightener for a bulb at the output. options of programming the devices, and some lab exercises and applica- The current detected in the coil with the moving magnet, and the changing tions suitable for such a lab course are presented. As demonstration and output of the transformer with the variable core are both predicted by practice, the participants will use their laptops to program and interface Faraday’s law. the devices. A basic knowledge of digital logic will be assumed.

W11: New RealTime Physics and Interactive Lecture W14: Ben Franklin is My Lab Partner Demonstration Tools and Curricula: Video Analysis, Sponsor: Committee on History and Philosophy in Physics Clickers and E&M Labs Time: 1–5 p.m. Saturday Sponsor: Committee on Educational Technologies Member Price: $72 non-Member Price: $97 Location: 3N12 Co-sponsor: Committee on Research in Physics Education Time: 8 a.m.–12 p.m. Saturday Robert Morse, 5530 Nevada Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20015; rmorse@ Member Price: $75 non-Member Price: $100 cathedral.org Location: 3N20 Benjamin Franklin’s experiments and observations on electricity David Sokoloff, Department of Physics, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR established not only his reputation as a scientist, but also our electrical 97403-1274; [email protected] conventions and vocabulary, and the principle of charge conservation. In his letters, Franklin builds, tests, and defends his model with skill and Priscilla Laws, Dickinson College; Ronald Thornton, Tufts University eloquence, arguing from experiment and sharing both his wisdom and doubts, while clearly conveying his fascination with electricity. As Franklin RealTime Physics (RTP) and Interactive Lecture Demonstrations (ILDs) was not formally schooled in mathematics, his theory was qualitative, and have been available for over 15 years—so what’s new? The just released Third is an approachable example of hands-on and minds-on construction of a Edition of RTP includes five new labs on basic electricity and magnetism in conceptual model with significant explanatory power. In this workshop, Module 3 as well a new approach to projectile motion in Module 1. Some of developed by the author at the Wright Center for Science Teaching at Tufts these new labs make use of video analysis. Also new are clicker-based ILDs. University, working with Franklin’s descriptions, we will recreate many of This hands-on workshop is designed for those who want to make effec- his experiments using modern, inexpensive equipment. Participants will tive use of active learning with computer-based tools in their introductory receive equipment and a CD-ROM containing the workshop manual, a courses. These active learning approaches for lectures, labs, and recitations collection of Franklin’s letters relating to electricity, and movie clips illus- (tutorials) are based on physics education research (PER). Participants will trating the experiments. work with new activities as well as original ones. The following will be distributed: Modules from the Third Edition of RTP, the ILD book, thePhysics July 28–August 1, 2012 31 W15: Introductory Laboratories W18: Science and Religion: Teaching Critical Thinking

Sponsor: Committee on Laboratories Sponsor: Committee on Science Education for the Public Time: 1–5 p.m. Saturday Time: 1–5 p.m. Saturday Member Price: $70 non-Member Price: $95 Member Price: $70 non-Member Price: $95 Location: 3W7 and 11 Location: 3W2

Mary Ann Klassen, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Swarthmore College, Paul Nienaber, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, Physics Dept., 700 Ter- 500 College Ave., Swarthmore, PA 19081; [email protected], race Heights #32, Winona, MN 55987; [email protected]

Scott Shelley, Haverford College; [email protected] Matthew B. Koss, College of the Holy Cross Whether your lab curriculum is ripe for an overhaul or well-established, Recent interchanges between science and religion have sparked seri- this workshop will provide new ideas to bring home to your institution. ous interest and no little heat. Science educators have an investment in Six presenters from colleges and universities across the United States will these discussions, not just because they impact public school curricular each demonstrate their approach to a favorite introductory lab exercise. At- policy—curious students and colleagues often raise questions whose tendees will have the opportunity to work with each apparatus. Documen- answers require examining subtle distinctions. This workshop seeks to map tation will be provided for each experiment, with lab manuals, sample data, out a particular approach to the discourse, an explorative juxtaposition of equipment lists, and construction or purchase information. This workshop fundamental (and sometimes deeply implicit) characteristics of the two is appropriate primarily for college and university instructional laboratory principal disciplines (science and theology). The intent is not to exhaus- developers. tively survey the current literature, nor to demolish or advocate particular positions. The aim, rather, is to provide an opportunity for participants and presenters to interact in a number of guided discussions and activities W16: Lab Experiments that (can) Re-appear Across the on this topic. These directed engagements will help construct a framework Curriculum that the presenters feel will permit participants to address the issues more productively, and to open avenues to better help students develop critical Sponsor: Committee on Laboratories thinking skills. Co-Sponsor: Committee on Physics in Pre-High School Education Time: 1–5 p.m. Saturday Member Price: $100 non-Member Price: $125 W19: Skepticism in the Classroom Location: 3N16 Sponsor: Committee on Committee on Physics in High Schools Paul Dolan, Northeastern Illinois University, 5500 N. St. Louis Ave., Chicago, Time: 1–5 p.m. Saturday IL 60625; [email protected] Member Price: $60 non-Member Price: $85 Do your favorite lab at any level in the curriculum! This workshop will Location: 3C2 provide participants with hands-on experience working with equipment Dean Baird, Rio Americano High School, 4540 American River Drive, Sacra- from several physics lab exercises that can be adapted to being done at mento, CA 95864; [email protected] many different levels of the curriculum, potentially from middle school to the advanced lab, thus moving the “spiral curriculum” from the lecture Matt Lowry, College of Lake County into the lab. Participants will cycle through the various stations to optimize We will present a variety of lessons, appropriate for the physics classroom, their “hands-on” time. Documentation will be provided for each experi- that focus on the skeptical and critical thinking nature of science. Some les- ment with sample data, equipment lists, and construction or purchase info. sons involve obvious physics content; some bring in examples from the real Possible topics include (but are not limited to): the pendulum (in its many world. Participants will get ready-to-use lessons and resources designed to various forms), the ballistic pendulum, granular materials, lenses and im- bring healthy, scientific skepticism to their classrooms. Topics include fire age formation, NanoTech, and examples of exponential growth and decay, walking, ghosts and angels, balance bracelets, back masking, the credulity such as population simulations and radiation/counting. The presentations of local media, woo at school, and more. will be active and interactive.

W17: Modeling Physics for University Physics

Sponsor: Committee on Research in Physics Education Time: 1–5 p.m. Saturday Member Price: $60 non-Member Price: $85 Location: 3C6

Eric Brewe, Florida International University, College of Education, 11200 SW 8th St., ZEB 259a, Miami, FL 33199 ; [email protected] Modeling Instruction is a pedagogical approach to university-level physics that focuses on model development and testing. The Physics Education Research Group at Florida International University has been implementing Modeling Instruction for university physics for the past 10 years. This workshop presents a university version of Modeling Instruction curriculum for the mechanics semester of introductory physics. Participants will engage in inquiry activities that focus on building qualitative and quantitative models, explore the curriculum materials available on an instructional CD, and explore video examples from the Modeling Instruction classroom. Participants in this workshop will receive a CD with weekly planning guides for one semester of introductory physics, activities designed for students, and video clips for instructor use. Participants are encouraged to bring laptop computers to this workshop.

32 executed in groups (starting with cookbook to inquiry through a hybrid Workshops – Sunday, July 29 approach), project-based implementation. All participants will leave with All workshops are held at the University of Pennsylvania Physics a CD of resources. Together the workshop will weave a coherent common Department building. thread for Physics of Energy from mechanical to electrical energy, thermal to electrical, solar to electrical, and chemical to electrical energy. T01: Research-based Teaching Strategies to Close the Gap W22: UTeach Observation Protocol (UTOP) Sponsor: Committee on Women in Physics Co-Sponsor: Committee on Minorities in Physics Sponsor: Committee on Teacher Preparation Time: 9 a.m.–12 p.m. Sunday Time: 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Sunday Member Price: $65 non-Member Price: $90 Member Price: $90 non-Member Price: $115 Location: 3C4 Location: 3C8

Burrow Kruezter, PO Box 41, Newry, SC 29665; [email protected] Mary Walker, The University of Texas at Austin, College of Natural Sciences, Andrew Boudreaux 1 University Station - G2550, Austin, TX 78712-0549; [email protected] Over the past several decades, physics education research (PER) has Candace Walkington, Monica Plisch identified a deficit in the ability of traditional instruction to promote coherent conceptual understanding of topics in introductory physics. Our The UTeach Observation Protocol (UTOP) is an instrument to observe preliminary study found that when recommendations from educational the classroom practices of in-service teachers. It is based on the Reformed psychology were introduced the gender gap disappeared. In this workshop Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) and the Inside the Classroom we will discuss and model these recommendations as well as work in small instruments of Horizon Research. This workshop will provide training on groups to brainstorm different techniques to utilize the recommendations how to use the UTOP to assess pedagogical practices shown by research to with students. improve student learning.

W20: PIRA Lecture Demonstration II W23: Computation and the Modeling Curriculum Sponsor: Committee on Apparatus Sponsor: Committee on Educational Technologies Time: 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Sunday Co-Sponsor: Committee on Physics in High Schools Member Price: $115 non-Member Price: $140 Time: 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Sunday Location: A1 Member Price: $80 non-Member Price: $105 Dale Stille and Sam Sampere, Rm 58, Van Allen Hall, Department of Physics Location: 3N16 and Astronomy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242 Michael Schatz, School of Physics, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA 30332; Topics in this workshop cover the standard second semester of physics [email protected] instruction from E&M to Modern plus Astronomy. It is taught by an experienced team of lecture demonstrators. The format allows for and encour- John Burk, The Westminster Schools; John Aiken, Georgia State University ages interplay between instructors and participants. It is recommended This workshop will describe methods for enhancing Modeling Instruction that both Lecture Demonstrations 1 and 2 be taken as this will cover the in high school physics with curricular materials that teach computation complete year of demonstrations needed for a typical course. The demon- (i.e., teach students to simulate, to visualize, and to solve physics problems strations used and exhibited will be based on, but not limited to, the PIRA using the computer). The computation curricular materials are based top 200 list of demonstrations. See www.pira-online.org for more info on on the easy-to-learn and use VPython environment; no prior program- this list. Please note that this workshop is intended to expose as many dem- ming experience is assumed or required (either for the workshop or for onstrations and ideas as possible to the participants. Since we will be doing classroom use). The workshop focuses on computation applied to force and approximately 100 demos during this workshop, time restraints DO NOT motion; the materials are suitable for any high school physics course rang- allow for extensive or in-depth discussions of each demonstration. We will ing from algebra-based physics through AP Physics. The workshop offers make every effort to answer all questions and concerns.. the opportunity to become part of a growing community of instructors, who are helping students develop Computational Thinking skills (like com- W21: The Physics of Energy putational physics) that are a vital part of all professional STEM disciplines in the 21st century. Sponsor: Committee on Science Education for the Public Co-Sponsor: Committee on Women in Physics Time: 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Sunday W25: Real-time Assessments of Student Understanding Member Price: $110 non-Member Price: $135 Location: 3N17 Sponsor: Committee on Research in Physics Education Co-Sponsor: Committee on Educational Technologies Abigail Mechtenberg, Clark University, 950 Main St., Worcester, MA 01602; Time: 8 a.m.–12 p.m. Sunday [email protected] Member Price: $60 non-Member Price: $85 Regina Barrera, Lee College Location: 3C2

Educators from U.S. high schools, TYCs, and colleges/universities adapt Scott Franklin, Dept. of Physics, Rochester Institute of Technology, Roches- this Physics of Energy workshop for experimental and theoretical Science, ter, NY 14623-5603; [email protected] Technology, and Society (STS) curriculum. Whether motivated by energy security or environmental stability, physicists at all levels must play a role Eleanor Sayre in the scientific literacy shaping the past as we have known it and the future This workshop will introduce participants to RAWR, the Rapid Assessment of the world as we should know it. The academic level is set for under- and Web Reports system that allows instructors to get real-time assess- graduate engineers and physicists; however, the astute teacher can easily ment of student understanding. Ideal for larger class sizes, but suitable apply this to other students. During the workshop 10 laboratories will be

July 28–August 1, 2012 33 for all, RAWR administers a between-student testing of physics concepts Andy Johnson, CAMSE, Unit 9005, Black Hills State University, Spearfish that compares the results of one group of students at one time with that SD 57799-9005; [email protected] of another at a later time. Faculty can see when students begin to forget prior knowledge, and adjust their methods accordingly. Faculty can choose Renee Michelle Goertzen from a large set of validated concept questions or generate their own to be High school or beginning college students can develop meaningful under- incorporated into the database. Results are presented to faculty in multiple standings of radioactivity via inquiry! The NSF-supported Inquiry-Based forms, and can assist Just-in-Time-Teaching methods. Workshop partici- Radiation project has developed a coherent set of over 35 hours of inquiry pants will learn the philosophy behind the between-students method and materials. Topics include basic properties of ionizing radiation, the origins get hands-on experience with the RAWR interface, and so will be fully of radiation, interaction of radiation with matter (including health ef- capable of implementing RAWR testing, if they so desire, in the coming fects), half lives and nuclear waste. These research-based materials resolve fall term. numerous student difficulties that we have identified through repeated classroom trials, observations, and interviews with students. Notable prob- W26: PRISMS – A High School Physics Curriculum lems addressed include differentiating radiation from its source(!), EM vs. ionizing radiation, the behavior and structure of atoms, the process of Sponsor: Committee on Physics in High Schools ionization by radiation, zoom scale thinking, interaction of radiation with Time: 8 a.m.–12 p.m. Sunday matter, and the meaning/microscopic basis of half life. Participants will get Member Price: $145 non-Member Price: $170 a flavor of the materials, learn about learning issues and receive electronic Location: 3W2 copies of the full current version including homework, teacher information, and three fun and powerful simulators. Lawrence Escalada, 317 Begeman Hall, Dept. of Physics, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0150; [email protected] W29: ClassAction: Interactive Classroom Materials for Alison A. Beharka, University of Northern Iowa Introductory Astronomy Physics Resources and Instructional Strategies for Motivating Students (PRISMS) is a high school physics curriculum and professional devel- Sponsor: Committee on Space Science and Astronomy opment program that utilizes a learning cycle pedagogy. The PRISMS Time: 8 a.m.–12 p.m. Sunday curriculum has been used extensively in UNI teacher preparation and Member Price: $30 non-Member Price: $55 professional development. The original PRISMS materials were a collection Location: 3C6 of 130 high interest activities related to the real-life experiences of high school physics students designed to develop student conceptual under- Kevin Lee, 244D Jorgensen Hall, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588- standing and to cultivate student scientific reasoning and problem skills. 0299; [email protected] The enhanced and revised version, called PRISMS PLUS, focuses on com- Todd S. Young, Wayne State plete learning cycles that provide fully integrated experiences that enable students to develop not only their problem-solving and inquiry skills but Educational research has clearly defined the characteristics of the optimal also deep, long-lasting understanding of physics concepts. Participants will introductory astronomy classroom—one where students are actively be introduced to PRISMS PLUS and work through a number of learning engaged in the learning process and frequently receiving timely feedback cycles. Participants will engage in discussions how the curriculum can be on their learning progress. The NSF-funded ClassAction project is a implemented in various high school physics classrooms. computer database of Think-Pair-Share questions designed to be projected in the classroom for student voting and discussion. Instructors have the capability to recast these questions into alternate forms based on their W27: Activities for Teaching about Weather and Climate own preferences and formative feedback from the class. The questions are accompanied by simulations and other resources for providing feedback. Sponsor: Committee on Science Education for the Public This workshop will provide teachers with hands-on experience using Co-Sponsor: Committee on Physics in High Schools ClassAction materials and present lessons we have learned about the Time: 8 a.m.–12 p.m. Sunday most effective ways to engage students. All materials will be disseminated Member Price: $60 non-Member Price: $85 through the web (http://astro.unl.edu) before the workshop and attendees Location: 3N15 will bring their own laptops with the software already installed.

Brian Jones, Physics Dept., Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523; [email protected] W30: How to Make Significant and Lasting Changes in Paul Williams, Austin Community College Your Introductory Physics for Life Science Course

During the day, the Earth is warmed by sunlight that shines on it. This is Sponsor: Committee on Physics in Undergraduate Education something that your students can see, something that they can feel. But, Co-Sponsor: Committee on Educational Technologies over the course of a day, the surface of the Earth receives more radiant Time: 8 a.m.–12 p.m. Sunday energy from the bottoms of clouds and the lower atmosphere than it does Member Price: $65 non-Member Price: $90 from the Sun. This influence of thermal radiation is critically important Location: 3N14 for an understanding of the Earth’s climate and how it is changing. In this workshop we’ll share activities that make this invisible form of energy Dawn Meredith, 9 Library Way, Physics Dept., University of New Hampshire, transfer tangible. We’ll also share activities that illuminate other important Durham, NH 03824; [email protected] but complex concepts, such as how climate models work, how feedbacks— both positive and negative—affect the climate. Our goal is to give you a set In recent years there has been much activity focused on major changes of tools to give your students a real understanding of the Earth’s climate in the introductory course for life science students. Prompted by several and how scientists predict its development in the future. national policy documents (e.g. Bio 2010 and proposed changes in medical school admissions criteria), changes in the course are aimed at creating a curriculum better suited to the needs and interests of life science W28: Can You Teach Radioactivity Using Inquiry? Yes! students. In this workshop several educators who have been working on this problem will share resources and ideas (rich biology-based problems, Sponsor: Committee on Educational Technologies texts and lectures; rethinking topic coverage; fundamental differences Co-Sponsor: Committee on Research in Physics Education between biology and physics that must be acknowledged; and institutional Time: 8 a.m.–12 p.m. Sunday challenges to change). Member Price: $60 non-Member Price: $85 Location: 3N12

34 W31: From Ptolemy to Einstein: Using Computer children’s literature at a number of different levels. Whether we are working Simulations in Astronomy with pre-service or practicing elementary teachers or our own physics students, children’s books provide a spring board to science investigations, Sponsor: Committee on Educational Technologies a way to model the processes of science and even serve as assessment for Co-Sponsor: Committee on Physics in Undergraduate Education our instruction. The workshop will be hands on and interactive. Partici- Time: 8 a.m.–12 p.m. Sunday pants will receive a DVD of activities, book and topic pairings, children’s Member Price: $60 non-Member Price: $85 literature resources, bibliographies, websites, and lesson plans. Location: PC Lab 1 W10: “Hands-on” on the Road Mario Belloni, Physics Dept. Davidson College, BOX 6910, Davidson, NC 28036; [email protected] Sponsor: Committee on Science Education for the Public Wolfgang Christian, Todd Timberlake Time: 1–5 p.m. Sunday Member Price: $95 non-Member Price: $120 One of the most popular courses in physics is astronomy. However, the Location: 3N15 topics taught require visualizations that are not familiar to the typical students in these courses. To address this issue, we have created a set of Richard Flarend, Penn State Altoona, 3000 Ivyside Park, Altoona, PA 16601; flexible resources for the teaching of introductory astronomy based on [email protected] two- and three-dimensional simulations. These simulations are created Pati Sievert, Northern Illinois University Outreach with Easy Java Simulations (EJS) which is a free and open source tool for creating Java simulations. Because EJS allows teachers to easily change sim- Come to this workshop and learn more about hands-on activities suitable ulations, existing simulations can be customized to the type of astronomy for outreach and road programs for a variety of age ranges. Some activities course one is teaching. In this workshop, we will describe how to use and are great for your classroom too. Of course, you will also do the activi- modify astronomy simulations such as the celestial sphere, Ptolemaic and ties yourself! Some activities are great for young kids, while others are for Copernican models, Keplerian orbits including eclipses, galactic collisions, older kids. Activities will come from five different outreach programs in and orbits about black holes. All of these materials will be distributed on a the areas of Electricity, Magnetism, Optics, Lasers, and Sound. Ideas based CD but are also available on the OSP Collection on the ComPADRE digital on experience with thousands of kids will also be presented about how to library. manage equipment and groups of children with your own “Hands-on” on the road program. W32: Sound & Music, Ways to Teach It (Free Kit !) W35: Simple Experiments for Learning the Strategies that Sponsor: Committee on Physics in Pre-High School Education Mirror Scientific Practice Co-Sponsor: Committee on Teacher Preparation Time: 8 a.m.–12 p.m. Sunday Sponsor: Committee on Physics in Undergraduate Education Member Price: $60 non-Member Price: $85 Co-Sponsor: Committee on Physics in High Schools Location: 3W5 Time: 1–5 p.m. Sunday Member Price: $70 non-Member Price: $95 Wendy Adams, University of Northern Colorado, CB 127, Greeley, CO 80639; Location: 3N9 [email protected] Gorazd Planinsic, Faculty for Mathematics and Physics, Jadranska 19, 1000 The Acoustical Society of America is proud to offer a “Sound and Music Ljubljana, Slovenia; [email protected] Activity Kit” free to K-12 teachers. The kit includes 10 tuning forks (frequencies chosen to address a range of learning goals), a sound level This is a hands-on workshop designed for teachers interested in using meter, four laminated posters of the inner ear and hair cells (healthy and the Investigative Science Learning Environment (ISLE) system to engage damaged), Ping Pong balls, fuzzy sticks, straws, and 15 research-based, students in practical work that mirrors scientific practice and thus helps interactive, student-tested lessons that have been developed to use with them develop scientific habits of mind. Creation of successful practical the Activity Kit materials. These lessons have been reviewed by the AAPT ISLE problems relies on finding suitable experiments. The key features of PTRAs (Physics Teacher Resource Agents). There are lessons that are such experiments are that they are simple, easy to build, that they allow appropriate for a range of levels K-14. Topics include, but are not limited students to construct multiple explanations within the accessible cur- to, how sound is produced, the basics of waves, how musical instruments riculum domain, and that they provide opportunities for the students to work, echolocation, the Doppler effect and Sound Labs. In this workshop actively experience how experiment and theory are interwound. Obviously the introductory lesson will be demonstrated and we will work with several the requirements are tough and therefore it is understandable why such of the hands-on portions of additional lessons. experiments are not easy to find. In the workshop participants will be solving different problems based on simple experiments using ISLE approach. Participants will work in rotating groups. At the end there will be a discus- W33: PTRA Workshop: Using Children’s Literature to Teach sion about the results. Science

Sponsor: Committee on Physics in Pre-High School Education W36: Advanced & Intermediate Laboratories Co-Sponsor: Committee on Physics in Two-Year Colleges Sponsor: Committee on Laboratories Time: 8 a.m.–12 p.m. Sunday Time: 1–5 p.m. Sunday Member Price: $80 non-Member Price: $105 Member Price: $95 non-Member Price: $120 Location: 3N22 Location: 3W7 and 11 William Reitz, 2921 Kent Rd., Stow, OH 4424; [email protected] Van Bistrow, Dept. of Physics, University of Chicago, Kersten Physics Teach- Nina Morley Daye, 2921 Kent Rd., Stow, OH 44224; [email protected]. ing Center, 5720 S. Ellis Ave., Chicago, IL 60637; [email protected] nc.us This workshop is appropriate for college and university instructional Storytime is a magic time—a time of amazement and imagination for laboratory developers. At each of six stations, presenters will demonstrate pre school-ers to high school-ers (and for many lucky adults). The magic an approach to an intermediate or advanced laboratory exercise. Each pre- unleashed in children’s literature should not disappear when the story is senter will show and discuss the apparatus and techniques used. Attendees completed. We can bridge the gap from story to experiment by asking “I will cycle through the stations and have an opportunity to use each ap- wonder if ?...” Then investigate those predictions with hands-on activities paratus. Documentation will be provided for each experiment, with sample that capitalize on this magic. This workshop will explore how we can use data, equipment lists, and construction or purchase information. July 28–August 1, 2012 35 W37: Biology-Inspired Labs for Introductory Physics system, ILEM combines multi-level research-based homework sets with an online e-text and discussion boards, and will have a physics library with Sponsor: Committee on Physics in Undergraduate Education about 10,000 problems indexed by topic and difficulty that can recommend Co-Sponsor: Committee on Laboratories additional problems like one you like. The system can measure the skill Time: 1–5 p.m. Sunday of your students regardless of which particular problems they actually do. Member Price: $80 non-Member Price: $105 This system can implement our successful Modeling Applied to Problem Location: 3N12 Solving pedagogy that generates problem-solving skills that transfer to a subsequent E&M course. Students also develop more expert-like attitudes Nancy Beverly, Mercy College, 555 Broadway, Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522; toward science, particularly in problem-solving self confidence. Workshop [email protected] participants should bring a laptop to explore some or all of these features, sample the various teaching materials for in-class use, and participate in Juan Rodriguez, Phillip Lockett Sytil Murphy, Dyan McBride, Sathappan innovative activities. We seek users/collaborators for generating/improving Ramesh open source materials. There is a growing need for introductory physics laboratory activities that allow life science students to explore and deepen their understanding of W40: Heliophysics Applications for Physics Teaching physics through biological contexts such as physiology, biomechanics, biophysics, and medicine. Individuals and groups who have been develop- Sponsor: Committee on Space Science and Astronomy ing such introductory laboratory activities will present examples from their Time: 1–5 p.m. Sunday labs. After an initial overview by the presenters, participants will break Member Price: $10 non-Member Price: $35 into rotating groups for hands-on experience with laboratory activities and Location: 3N22 more detailed discussion with each presenter about the pertinent pedagogy and apparatus. A flash drive with resources for the laboratory activities will Mary Kadooka, University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy, 2680 Woodlawn be given to the participants. Dr., Honolulu, HI, 96822; [email protected] Katie Whitman W38: Cosmology in the Classroom Our Sun has numerous applications for teaching physics such as how the Sponsor: Committee on Space Science and Astronomy solar wind affects our magnetosphere to interactions of charged particles in Time: 1–5 p.m. Sunday space. It provides a wealth of fascinating resources to stimulate student in- Member Price: $70 non-Member Price: $95 terest and increase motivation to learn physics. From the twisting magnetic Location: 3W10 field lines of sunspots resulting in solar flares and coronal mass ejections that can cause blackouts on Earth, you will learn about the Sun’s central Daniel Smith, Dept. of Biological and Physical Sciences, South Carolina role in space weather. Complementing this background knowledge will be State University, Orangeburg, SC 29115; [email protected] activities using images from the NASA Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO) developed by physics teachers and heliophysicists. You will use JHelioview- Kim Coble, Chicago State University er, a database of Sun images, that will stimulate your thinking to enable you Recently, powerful observations and advances in computation and visu- to create your own lessons. Check out http://c2h2.ifa.hawaii.edu for more alization have led to a revolution in our understanding of the structure, information about the group sponsoring this workshop. composition, and evolution of the universe. Experts should not be the only ones, however, who understand the physics and data that provide W42: LEAP: Learner-centered Environment for Algebra- overwhelming evidence for big bang cosmology and its dark matter-dark based Physics* energy extensions. The first part of the workshop will introduce participants to (1) results of our research on common alternate student concep- Sponsor: Committee on Research in Physics Education tions in cosmology, and (2) a sample of interactive web-based exercises Time: 1–5 p.m. Sunday from a curriculum designed to help students master the scientific concepts Member Price: $60 non-Member Price: $85 and processes that led to our current understanding of the universe. In the Location: 3W5 second part of the workshop we will present classroom-tested labs on the Large Scale Structure, featuring data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Paula Engelhardt, Tennessee Technological University, Dept. of Physics, 110 (SDSS). Participants should bring their own laptops with spreadsheet University Drive, Cookeville, TN 38505; [email protected] software and Adobe Flash installed. Steve Robinson

W39: Free Online Integrated Learning Environment for Me- The Learner-centered Environment for Algebra-based Physics (LEAP) is a chanics, with Powerful Problem Solving Pedagogy newly developed, two-semester physics curriculum for algebra-based physics. The course pedagogy and activity sequence is guided by research on Sponsor: Committee on Educational Technologies student learning of physics and builds on the work of the NSF-supported Co-Sponsor: Committee on Physics in Undergraduate Education project, Physics for Everyday Thinking (PET). Students work in groups Time: 1–5 p.m. Sunday to develop their understanding of various physics phenomena including Member Price: $60 non-Member Price: $85 forces, energy, electricity and magnetism, light and optics. Students utilize Location: 3N14 hands-on experiments and computer simulations to provide evidence to support their conceptual understanding. Traditional problem solving is Dave Pritchard, Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Physics, MIT, Room 26- scaffolded by using the S.E.N.S.E. problem solving strategy. During this 241, Cambridge, MA 02139; [email protected] workshop, participants will be introduced to the LEAP curriculum and S.E.N.S.E. problem solving strategy, will examine and work through a Saif Rayyan, MIT; Daniel Seaton, MIT; Yoav Bergner, MIT; Raluca Teodor- sample of the types of activities students do and view video from the col- escu, GWU; Andrew Pawl, UW-Platteville lege LEAP classroom. Use our Integrated Environment for Mechanics (ILEM) in your next *Supported in part by NSF CCLI grant #DUE-0737324 mechanics course. Hosted in LON-CAPA, an open source online learning

36 W43: Physics and Toys II: Energy, Momentum, Electricity, W45: LEAP: Video Resource for Learning Assistant and Magnetism Development

Sponsor: Committee on Science Education for the Public Sponsor: Committee on Research in Physics Education Co-Sponsor: Commitee on Professional Concerns Co-Sponsor: Committee on Educational Technologies Time: 1–5 p.m. Sunday Time: 1–5 p.m. Sunday Member Price: $62 non-Member Price: $87 Member Price: $60 non-Member Price: $85 Location: 3W2 Location: 3C4

Beverly Taylor, Miami University, Hamilton, 1601 University Blvd., Hamilton, Renee Michelle Goertzen, Florida International University, 11200 SW 8th St., OH 45011; [email protected] VH 169, Miami, FL 33199; [email protected]

Raymond Turner Rachel E. Scherr, Seattle Pacific University

This hands-on workshop is designed for teachers at all levels in search The Video Resource for Learning Assistant Development is a package of fun physics demonstrations, lab experiments, and interactive materi- of thematic case-based “video workshops,” designed to supplement the als through the use of ordinary children’s toys. More than 50 toys will be University of Colorado’s widely disseminated LA development program. demonstrated, and the physical principles related to these toys will be dis- In a video workshop, short, compelling video episodes are accompanied cussed. The workshop will concentrate on toys that illustrate the concepts by captions, transcript, excerpts from instructional materials, and targeted of kinetic and potential energy, linear and angular momentum, electricity, discussion questions to help LAs and faculty explore the principles and magnetism, pressure, temperature and properties of materials. You will values that inform instructor and student behavior. The video episodes have the opportunity to participate in both qualitative and quantitative showcase a variety of exemplary (yet real-life) LA-relevant instructional investigations using toys. The workshop leaders have found that toys can formats including Tutorials in Introductory Physics, Modeling Instruction, be utilized at all grade levels from kindergarten through college by varying Investigative Science Learning Environment, and Open Source Tutorials. the sophistication of the analysis. These same toys can be used for informal After a brief overview of the project, participants will spend most of their presentations to public groups of all ages, whether children or adults. time actually participating in a sample video workshop: i.e., watching compelling classroom video of LAs and students interacting, and discussing the observations they make. Participants will be provided with full access to the package of video workshops. Bring a laptop if it’s convenient.

Philadelphia Trolley Tour

Tuesday, July 31 • 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. Allow Philadelphia’s Premier Tour Company to show you the sights and tell you the tales of a city that forged a nation, cheered for Rocky, and is home to the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall! The tour will begin at Houston Hall and end at the Inn at Penn, just in time to catch the AAPT Demo Show. A limited number of tickets are available and are selling fast.

July 28–August 1, 2012 37 PTRA Workshops All workshops are held at the University of Pennsylvania Physics First Timers’ Department building. PTRA1: Explorations and Practicums, co-presented by George Gathering amann and Pat Callahan Date: Monday, July 30 Time: 8:30–10:30 a.m. Location: RNL 3N6 Member Cost: $53 non-member Cost: $63

The key to learning is student involvement! This American Association of Physics Teachers/Physics Teaching Resource Agents (AAPT/PTRA) manual presents examples of two techniques that are proven to increase student involvement in your classroom. Based on the “5E” model of learning, exploratories are designed to get your students excited about the material they will explore in your classroom with you. Practicums are a unique method for measuring a class’ learning in an “authentic” manner that will ensure the whole class is excited and totally immersed in the process. An Learn more about AAPT AAPT/PTRA resource book provided and included in price. PTRA2: PTRA Presents Everyday Einstein: GPS & Relativity, and the Summer Meeting co-presented by Damian Pope, Karen Jo Matsler and Elaine Gwinn High School Physics Teachers Day Date: Tuesday, July 31 attendees are encouraged to Time: 8:30–10:30 a.m. Location: RNL 3N6 check in at this event! Monday, July 30 Member Cost: $35 non-member Cost: $45 7:15 - 8:20 a.m. What do Einstein and GPS have in common? Find out in the first Perim- eter Inspirations module highlighting the power and relevance of one of Irvine Auditorium - Café 58 human’s greatest intellectual achievements. ‘Everyday Einstein’ is an educational resource that includes a five-minute video and an accompanying teacher’s guide. Suitable for grades 9 through 12. Lead PTRAs will guide you through using this lesson and prepare you to guide your colleagues.

PTRA3: using and Adapting OSP- and Physlet-based Materials for an Interactive Classroom, co-presented by Wolfgang Christian and Mario Belloni Date: Wednesday, August 1 Time: 8:30–10:30 a.m. Location: RNL 3N6 Member Cost: $35 Non-member Cost: $45

Participants will learn how to use and adapt existing Open Source Physics and Physlet-based curricular material in this hands-on workshop. We will distribute Physlets (interactive Java applets written at Davidson College) and ready-to-run Java programs and present examples of how they are used to actively engage students in the classroom. This workshop is based on existing material available at no-cost from the ComPADRE National Digital Library which can easily be adapted for introductory physics. This workshop is supported by the National Science Foundation (DUE-0442581 and DUE-0937731).

PTRA4: sound and Music: H.S. Materials Plus Updates for AAPT Welcome Reception grades 3-8, presented by Wendy Adams Date: Sunday, July 29 Time: 1:00–5:00 p.m. and Exhibit Hall Opening Location: RNL 3N6 Member Cost: $35 Non-member Cost: $45

Sound and Music: High School materials plus updates for grades 3-8: The Acoustical Society of America is proud to offer a “Sound and Music Activ- Sunday, July 29 • 8-10 p.m. ity Kit” free to K-12 teachers. The kit comes with a selection of hands-on Houston Hall - Hall of Flags/Bodek Lounge materials, as well as a USB containing 32 lessons/labs and two assessments. In this afternoon session, all new materials that have been developed since the 2011 PTRA training will be demonstrated and you will work with several of the hands-on portions of these new materials. The majority of the new materials were designed for AP physics or introductory level college 38 physics courses.

Session SPS: SPS Undergraduate and Graduate Poster Session Sunday, July 29 Location: Houston Hall - Bistro Highlights Sponsor: Committee on Research in Physics Education Date: Sunday, July 29 Time: 8–10 p.m. AAPT Workshops at Physics Department

Presider: Thomas Olsen

SPS01: 8–10 p.m. Instructor Prompting Mechanisms and Student REGISTRATION 7 a.m.–4 p.m. HH - Reading Room Participation in a Reformed Classroom* Poster – Maria Paula Angarita, Florida International University, Miami, FLA 33174; [email protected] Publications Committee 8–10 a.m. Sher. Wm Penn Sean Stewart, Jared Durden, Florida International University; Nominating Committee 10:30–12 p.m. IA - G01 Vashti Sawtelle, University of Maryland Resource Letters Com. 11:30–2 p.m. IA - G7 Classroom participation has been shown to improve learning gains. However, instructors may at times find it difficult to engage their classrooms in effective Section Off. Exchange 5:30–6:30 p.m. CCH -Terrace discourse. Understanding how instructors effectively engage their students is key to facilitating student participation. Through qualitative video analysis of a Modeling Programs Committee I 5:15–6:30 p.m. HH - Golkin Instruction Introductory Physics I class, we present an analysis of the impact of In- structor prompts on student participation. Using microanalysis of a video segment H.S. Share-a-Thon 6–8 p.m. IA - Amado Hall in which an instructor is engaging students in a series of questions during a large group white board meeting, we identified prompting mechanisms that contribute to REGISTRATION 7:30–9 p.m. HH - Reading student participation in a reformed classroom. Room *This work is supported by NSF Grant #0802184 Section Representatives 6:30–8 p.m. CCH - Terrace SPS02: 8–10 p.m. Guided Inquiry-based Demonstrations Using Everyday Items: Examples from Electricity Poster – Roy Prouty, The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, Galloway TWP, COMMITTEE MEETINGS, 6:30–8 p.m. NJ 08234; [email protected] – Research in Physics Education HH - Class of 47 Fang Liu, The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey – Committee on Laboratories IA - G16 For most physics for life sciences students, the introductory physics course is a terminal course. Teaching by telling, the traditional approach to instruction in in- – Graduate Education in Physics HH - Griski troductory physics, is ineffective for most physics for life sciences students. Subject matter has to be taught in ways that intellectually engage and involve students, – SI Units and Metric Education IA - G7 foster self-directed learning, and eventually help students develop a coherent conceptual understanding. In this presentation we will share our experience in developing guided inquiry based demonstrations using everyday items for physics Exhibit Hall Opens / Welcome Reception for life sciences students. In particular, we will highlight two interesting examples 8–10 p.m. (Hall of Flags AND Bodek Lounge) from electricity including producing electricity with a fruit/vegetable battery and electrical heating with a non-conventional resistance, hot dog. SPS Undergraduate and Graduate Poster Session SPS03: 8–10 p.m. Regression Analysis Exploring Teacher Impact on Student FCI Post Scores* 8–10 p.m. HH - Bistro

Poster – Jonathan V. Mahadeo, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199 [email protected] Seth R. Manthey, Eric Brewe Florida, International University In this poster we present the results of a regression analysis exploring teacher impacts on student Force Concept Inventory (FCI) scores. The data were collected from 1,373 students of 22 high school physics teachers. Additionally we collected demographic data; the independent variables in the regression analysis included the teacher, FCI Pre Score, Gender, and Ethnic Representation in an effort to predict the dependent variable, FCI Post Score. The regression analysis returned an effect size of .62 (Cohen’s f2) and indicated that 19 out of 22 high school physics teachers had a significant impact in accounting for the variance within student FCI Post Scores. Further analysis showed that of the 19 teachers accounting for a significant amount of the variance, only two had a positive beta coefficient. This indicates that there are dynamic differences between teachers that may be revealed through other measures such as the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP). *Supported by NSF Award # PHY-0802184 . KEY: IA = Irvine Auditorium HH = Houston Hall SPS04: 8–10 p.m. Students’ Beliefs Concerning Different Components of a Calculus-based Physics Course CCH = Claudia Cohen Hall

Poster – Adam O. Szewciw, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2036; [email protected] July 28–August 1, 2012 Rebecca S. Lindell, Andrew S. Hirsch, Purdue University Province, Jiangsu Province 211189 China; [email protected] The Physics Department at Purdue University offers two sequential In recent years, people are looking more and more closely at another introductory calculus-based physics courses utilizing the Matter and modality of matter–antimatter. In this article, firstly we will introduce the Interactions (M&I) curriculum. These courses consist of a lecture twice history of discovery of anti-particle and the basic properties of anti-parti- a week, a one-hour recitation and a two-hour lab. Homework is deliv- cles. Next we will talk about how to collect natural antimatter and produce ered via WebAssign. Unlike traditional courses, Purdue’s calculus-based antimatter in laboratories, and then some of the applications and our own sequence includes cooperative group problem solving during recitation hypotheses about antimatter will be shown to you. Thanks to the bilingual and computational modeling via VPython during lab. To improve under- physics teaching courses, that was put forward by Professor Yun Yin, standing of students’ beliefs regarding the educational effectiveness of the for providing me with the chance to study the courses and the project of different M&I course components, the researchers conducted a series of antimatter and for stimulating my enthusiasm of studying science, mainly focus groups consisting of approximately 5-10 students either currently or about the cosmology. previously enrolled in M&I 1. The purpose of this qualitative investigation is to provide the researchers with a more complete understanding of where students’ believe they learn physics so as to better design instruction. SPS09: 8–10 p.m. The Harry Potter’s Cloak of Invisibility Preliminary results will be discussed. Material

SPS05: 8–10 p.m. “Learning Arc”: The Process of Resolv- Poster – Zhiqiang Jiang,*Chien-shiung Wu College, Southeast University Nanjing, Jiangsu 211189 China; [email protected] ing Concerns through Student-Student Discourse* Qian Chen, Jian Cao Poster – Sean Stewart, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199; Imagine that if you put on Harry Potter’s invisibility coat and disappeared [email protected] into thin air, how magical and amazing it would be. Such kinds of invis- Maria Paula Angarita, Jared Durden, Florida International University ibility materials or devices seem so attractive not only to sci-fi fans, but Vashti Sawtelle, University of Maryland also to scientists. As freshmen we have been inspired by professor Yun’s thoughts and also thrown new light upon self-study and inquiry learning In reformed classrooms that utilize student-student interactions, a student’s by taking the Bilingual Physics with Multimedia course, and we decided to concerns can often be resolved through student-student discourse with research on the invisibility material. By figuring out the principles behind minimal to no direct input from the instructor. To gain insight into such the phenomena, our article will introduce three ways based on the present interactions, we used video data from a Florida International University technology to create invisibility. At the same time, we will simply explore reformed Physics I classroom. We micro-analyzed a segment in which the our methods to be invisible and look into the prospect of the invisibility discourse between a group of three students leads to the resolution of a materials. concern. In this study, we identified a pattern of discourse, which we are calling a “Learning Arc.” In this poster, we present the “Learning Arc” as a cyclical process by which students use discourse as a means to achieve a SPS10: 8-10 p.m. Principles and Prospects of Bose-Einstein consensus that resolves a concern. Condensate *This work is supported by NSF Grant #0802184 Poster – Xiao Liang, Chien-Shiung Wu College, Southeast University, Jiangsu 211189 China; [email protected] SPS06: 8–10 p.m. Activities in the SPS Chapter of Wenzhen Li, Yifan Ding southeast University Recently, the fifth state of matter, the Bose-Einstein Condensate, has at- Poster – Zhi-Yong Zhou, Department of Physics, Jiangning Campus, South- tracted more and more attention in academic circles for its unique physical east University Nanjing, Jiangsu 211189 China; [email protected] properties. Inspired by a course called Bilingual Physics with Multimedia, Hong Huang, Hui Zhong, Ying-Hui, Ying Yun, Southeast University we had a strong curiosity and interest on the topic, principles, and prospects of Bose-Einstein Condensate, and conducted a research study on it. We present the organizations and activities of the SPS chapter in Southeast This essay starts with some related concepts and the ultimate principle of University of China after its establishment in 2010. As the first one estab- Bose-Einstein Condensate, and then we lucubrate some pertinent proper- lished in China, the chapter has undertaken regular activities in rich and ties together with the famous experiments on the fifth state. Moreover, varied forms through the organization of its executive committees. The the essay also expounds on the applications and prospect of Bose-Einstein chapter provides an active atmosphere of learning among the students and Condensate. helps more students transform themselves into contributing members of the professional community. Some students have started to do some scientific researches by their own under the professional guidance and some SPS11: 8–10 p.m. Exploring the Quantum “Spring” enjoyable achievements have been obtained. Poster – Zhigang Peng, Chien-Shiung Wu College, Southeast University, Jiang Ning Campus, Jiang Su Province 211189, China; SPS07: 8–10 p.m. Mentoring a FIRST Robotics Team and a [email protected] Middle School Robotics Camp Ping Luo, Huihui Zou, Chien-Shiung Wu College, the Southeast University Zero-point energy is supposed to be the possible lowest energy that a Poster – Richard Floyd, Coastal Carolina University, Conway, SC 29528 quantum physical system may have. When the zero-point energy varies, [email protected] the Casimir effect then can be observed. Recently, researchers have been Cody V. Thompson, James C. Moore, Coastal Carolina University more interested in repulsive Casimir force created by artificial methods. We discuss the implementation of a mentoring program for local FIRST Actually, if we can adjust the properties of the materials and the medium robotics teams as a Society of Physics Students (SPS) activity at Coastal independently so that the attractive force and the repulsive force can be Carolina University. Also, we present details about the development obtained freely, we are likely to make an acquisition of restoring Casimir and implementation of a summer robotics camp for middle school aged force. Therefore, with the help of quantum effect, the quantum “spring” children. Activities involving robotics are an excellent way to build interest can be achieved. Inspired by Professor YunYing’s idea of education and in the SPS on campus, and provide an important connection with the local our interest in this subject, our group studied it through the “Introduction community. Working with middle school children in an exciting inquiry- to Bilingual Physics with Multimedia” course initiated by Prof. Yun. This based environment serves a dual purpose: enhancing the reasoning and article mainly makes a review of the Casimir effect and the research on the creative design abilities of the future generation of potential (hopefully!) restoring Casimir force. STEM students, as well as the abilities of the undergraduate mentors. SPS12: 8–10 p.m. Detection of Small Radioactive Traces of SPS08: 8–10 p.m. Step into the Mirror K-40 with NaI(Tl) Scintillation Detector & GM Counter

Poster – Cui Du, Southeast University, Chien-Shiung Wu College, Jiangsu Poster – Michael Carr, Ramapo College of NJ, Boonton Twp, NJ 07005; 40 [email protected] material systems. Using a novel combination of conductive atomic force Jillian Hauck, Amanda S. Skuriat, Matthew Saur, Daniela Buna, Ramapo microscopy (AFM) and scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM) we are College of NJ able to inject surface charge locally on the nano-scale and measure the resulting change in surface contact potential. By investigating surface charge We investigated the possibility of determining the absolute activity of trapping in various environments, we can learn more about the native elec- radioactive potassium, K-40, in small samples of fertilizers, such as Miracle tronic energy band bending. We are also interested in further developing Gro, 24-8-16, using a scintillation detector with a NaI(Tl) crystal and a the technique for future nano-scale catalytic activity measurements. multichannel analyzer. We investigated the dependence between the mag- *Funding provided by NSF-DMR 1104600 nitude of the percent error and the temperature variation during the long **Sponsor: James C. Moore acquisition time as well as the possibility of calculating a reliable calibration factor between measured and true activity for a given fixed geometry that severely violates the point source approximation. For the calibration SPS16: 8–10 p.m. The Study of Small Scale Features samples used, KF, KCl, KNO2 and K2SO4, the percent error in determin- (Fronts) Found in Long Term Temperature Records ing the absolute activity was less than 7%. For samples of MiracleGro that have lower concentration of K-40 than the samples above the error was as Poster – Jeniffer Allen, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, Galloway, high as 40%. The main source of error seems to be the temperature varia- NJ 08205; [email protected] tions and the detector efficiency at 1.461MeV. Roy Prouty, Joseph J .Trout, Richard Stockton College of NJ An atmospheric front can be defined as sloping zones of pronounced tran- SPS13: 8–10 p.m. Photocatalysis with Zinc Oxide and sition of thermal, moisture, and/or wind fields in the atmosphere. These titanium Dioxide Nanowire Films* transition zones (fronts) are characterized by a strong horizontal temperature gradients and/or large horizontal wind shears. One of the signatures Poster – Cody V. Thompson,** Coastal Carolina University, Conway, SC of the front is evident as a large horizontal temperature gradient. Wavelet 29528 [email protected] Analysis is used to analyze the long and short term transition zones in Robert Louder, James C. Moore, Coastal Carolina University long-term temperature records. The compact nature of the wavelets make them perfect candidates for analyzing the short term transition zones in We have investigated the photocatalyitc activity of zinc oxide (ZnO) and the thermal field that comprise the fronts. The frequency, intensity, and titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanowire films grown in-house. Optimized shape of these transition zones are analyzed to examine long term trends in transparent ZnO and TiO2 films could find use as fingerprint-resistant the number and magnitude of these transition zones. barriers on touch screen devices, such as cell phones and tablet computers. Furthermore, there is great need for reusable materials with environmental remediation potential. Low-cost films that are easily removed from aque- SPS17: 8–10 p.m. Isolating Motions of a Spinning Tube ous environmental systems post-decontamination are ideal candidates. Poster – Keith W. Farrington,** Coastal Carolina University, Conway, SC Our research goal is to determine optimal film growth parameters that 29528; [email protected] result in increased photocatalytic activity of organics at the surface. The main challenge has been balancing the need for high surface area as a reac- James C. Moore, Coastal Carolina University tion site for the photocatalytic process, with the typical decrease in optical We discuss participation in the spinning tubes authentic research experi- efficiency that results from polycrystalline films having small particle size. ence as detailed by Sikkema et al.,* and we present a student-designed and We report a low-temperature process that yields high optical efficiency and constructed demonstration apparatus. Students in a conceptual physics high surface area. course at Coastal Carolina University observed the rotation of a PVC pipe *Funding provided by the II-VI Foundation. segment marked at opposite ends with different symbols. The symbol at **Sponsor: James C. Moore one end is visible while the other symbol is not during the motion. The assignment is to use the scientific inquiry process to determine why. SPS14: 8–10 p.m. Modeling Gyroscopic Motion in Terms of During the student-led investigation, one avenue of inquiry required the Linear Momentum isolation and control of the major tube motions: (1) rotation about the center of mass, and (2) cylindrical rotation. An apparatus was designed and Poster – Harvey B. Kaplan,* Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907- constructed that allowed for such control, and provided support for the 2036; [email protected] student-generated model describing why one symbol is not seen. * A.E. Sikkema et al., Am. J. Phys., 78(5), 467 (2010). Andrew S. Hirsch, Rebecca S. Lindell, Purdue University **Sponsor: James C. Moore Gyroscopic motion is often described in terms of torque and angular momentum. This method of describing gyroscopic motion proves to be convenient, but covers up the underpinnings as to what gives rise to those SPS18: 8–10 p.m. Physically Interpreting Equations concepts: linear force and linear momentum. Using VPython program- Workshop at Princeton University ming, a simplified version of a gyroscope is depicted with four identical Poster – Elizabeth J. Young, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08542 masses in place of a traditional massive disk. The program allows for effec- [email protected] tive analysis of gyroscopic motion in terms of forces and linear momentum, and permits the user to increase the number of masses until the limit Dominic J. Voge, Princeton University of a physical gyroscope is reached. This program is intended to serve as a We propose a workshop to help the novice learner link together equations pedagogical tool for teaching, analyzing, and visualizing complex mechani- presented in different contexts with the same physical principles. The abil- cal systems as it pertains to the gyroscope. ity to link together this information by physically interpreting equations is * Sponsor: A. Hirsch a skill that can be taught. Our method involves recognizing familiar terms in the equation and relating them to known effects in physical systems. SPS15: 8–10 p.m. Trapping Electric Charge on the Surface Reasoning through the steps of tearing down and building back up an of Semiconductors* equation should help the students’ intuition about the physical interpretation of the equation’s form. Lessons learned and methods taught can be Poster – James Bevacqua,** Coastal Carolina University, Conway, SC applied in the classroom and in understanding papers in research areas. 29528; [email protected] Our goals include students gaining confidence when approaching complex, James C. Moore, Coastal Carolina University complicated, and seemingly foreign problems. Students can master workshop goals while at the same time achieving deeper levels of understanding We have investigated the trapping of electric charge and the subsequent through inquiry and the exploration of multiple problems. Specific strate- bending of electronic energy bands at the surface of several semiconductor gies for implementation of this project are discussed in detail.

July 28–August 1, 2012 41 January 2012 Volume 50 Number1 PhysicsThe Teacher

The Physics Teacher (TPT), now in its 50th year, is a full-featured print and electronic (tpt.aapt.org) journal that publishes papers on the teaching of physics, with topics such as contemporary physics, applied physics, and the history of physics—all aimed at the introductory-level teacher.

Each issue is a valuable resource for physics research projects and instructional labs for the introductory classroom; teaching tips, history and philosophy, and book reviews. Monthly columns feature Physics Challenges, Fermi Questions, Book Reviews, Apparatus for Teaching Physics, For the New Teacher and YouTube Physics. Visit tpt.aapt.org for information about subscribing to The Physics Teacher.

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A publication of the American Association of Physics Teachers

Session AA: Assessing Student Learning in Upper-Division Labs Monday, July 30 Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom I Highlights Sponsor: Committee on Laboratories Co-Sponsor: Committee on Research in Physics Education Date: Monday, July 30 REGISTRATION 7 a.m.–5 p.m. HH - Reading Time: 8:30–10:30 a.m. Presider: Heather Lewandowski First Timers’ Gathering 7–8:20 a.m. IA - Cafe 58 Spouses’ Gathering 10:30–11:30 IA - Cafe 58 AA01: 8:30-9 a.m. Assessing Students’ Attitudes and Early Career Professionals Speed Networking Beliefs About Experimental Physics 12:15–1:15 p.m. Sheraton - Fairmount Invited – Benjamin M. Zwickl, Department of Physics, University of Colorado, PIRA Resource Room HH - Platt Rehearsal Boulder, CO 80309-0390; [email protected] Noah Finkelstein, H. J. Lewandowski, University of Colorado Boulder H.S. Physics Photo Contest Voting Hall of Flags Balcony National STEM education advocates are calling for redesigned introduc- Undergraduate Awards Reception 5:30–6:30 IA - Cafe 58 tory labs that encourage students to persist in STEM majors. Additionally, groups like the Advanced Laboratory Physics Association (ALPhA) have recognized the need for a more coherent four-year laboratory curricu- COMMITTEE MEETINGS, 7–8:30 a.m. lum. As part of a comprehensive effort to transform our labs and evaluate the impacts of these efforts, we have developed the Colorado Learning –Women in Physics IA - G16 Attitudes about Science Survey for Experimental Physics (E-CLASS). –Educational Technologies IA - G01 The E-CLASS assesses the change in students’ attitudes about a variety of –Teacher Preparation IA - G7 inquiry and laboratory practices before and after a lab course, and compares it with their perception of the course grading requirements and their self-assessed laboratory practices. We present the development, validation, Kindle Raffle 10:45 a.m. HH - Bodek Lounge and results from the initial implementation of the survey. We plan to share the E-CLASS nationally in order to learn about the state of labs at many institutions and to give instructors actionable feedback for modifying their Teaching Awards 11 a.m.–12:10 p.m. Inn at Penn - courses. Woodlands Ballroom AA02: 9-9:30 a.m. Data Handling: A Student’s Modus AAPT: What’s In it for H.s. Teachers? 12:15–1:15 p.m. operandi HH - Ben Franklin Room

Invited – James Day,* Department of Physics & Astronomy, UBC, Vancouver, BC V6T1Z1 Canada; [email protected] Commercial Workshops, 12:15–1:15 p.m. Doug Bonn, Department of Physics & Astronomy, UBC –Pearson Inn at Penn - Regents/St. Marks Motivated by the myriad efforts devoted to appraising the acquisition of –Klinger Educational Sheraton - University Suite skill, knowledge, and comprehension in the classroom, we have attempted to address learning in the lab. In a course where the learning goals focus –Physics2000 HH - Golkin mostly on managing data, the translation between graphs/numbers/functions, and an operational understanding of uncertainty, we have developed a short diagnostic to probe student abilities related to data handling and Plenary 1:30–3 p.m. Inn at Penn - Woodlands to the nature of measurement and uncertainty. The 10-question, multiple- choice test is called the Concise Data Processing Assessment (CDPA). A –APS Division of Biophysics Session - Birds, Brains, & Physics key component of its development was the use of interviews with students, employed to both uncover common modes of student thinking and validate item wording. Statistical tests indicate that the CDPA is a reliable Afternoon Break 3–3:30 p.m. Hall of Flags/Bodek assessment tool for measuring targeted abilities in undergraduate students. Kindle Raffle 3:15 p.m. Hall of Flags Performance on individual items has informed our pedagogical strategies in the lab, and has served to illuminate future research directions. *Sponsor: Heather Lewandowski COMMITTEE MEETINGS, 5:30-7 p.m. –Physics in Two-Year Colleges HH - Golkin AA03: 9:30-10 a.m. Assessing Student Understanding in upper-Division Analog Electronics Courses* –Professional Concerns IA - G7 –Physics in High Schools HH - Class of 47 Invited – MacKenzie R. Stetzer, University of Maine, 5709 Bennett Hall, Orono, ME 04469-5709; [email protected] –Space Science and Astronomy IA - G01 While there are many important goals of laboratory instruction, particu- –PIRA Business Meeting IA - Amado larly in upper-division courses, relatively little work has been done to assess the impact of such courses on students. As part of an ongoing, in-depth investigation of student learning in upper-division laboratory courses on BEN FRANKLIN PERFORMANCE 5:30-7 p.m. analog electronics, we have been examining the extent to which students CCH - Claudia Cohen Terrace enrolled in these courses develop a robust conceptual understanding of Poster Session I 8:30–10 p.m. HH - Bistro

IA = Irvine Auditorium July 28–August 1, 2012 KEY: 43 HH = Houston Hall CCH = Claudia Cohen Hall analog electronics (one of many course goals). I will highlight the development and use of written questions on diode and op-amp circuits that have Session AB: Panel – The Good and been instrumental in probing student understanding in sufficient depth to identify specific conceptual and reasoning difficulties. I will also illustrate the Bad of Video Lectures the role such questions may play in revealing weaknesses in the traditional Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom II treatment of certain electronics topics and in informing modifications to Sponsor: Committee on Educational Technologies instruction. Date: Monday, July 30 *This work has been supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Time: 8:30–10:30 a.m. Grant No. DUE-0618185. Presider: Marcos Caballero AA04: 10-10:10 a.m. Hands-on Performance Assessments

Monday morning for Electronics Panel – Marcos D. Caballero, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO; marcos. [email protected] Contributed – Melissa Eblen-Zayas, Carleton College, Northfield, MN 55057; [email protected] –Frank Noschese, John Jay High School –Noah Podolefsky, University of Colorado Boulder Lab notebooks, oral presentations, and formal write-ups are often used to evaluate lab work, but these assessments fall short in evaluating some of –Andy Rundquist, Hamline University aspects of students’ ability to do hands-on work, including troubleshoot- Affordable and high-quality video cameras and user-friendly ing. I will discuss the hands-on performance assessment that I used in my screen-casting software have made it possible to create profes- upper-level electronics course, which asks students to make predictions about the response of a circuit and then requires students to build the sional looking lecture videos. A highly visible example of such vid- circuit to test their predictions. In addition to reviewing the benefits and eos is the Khan Academy (http://www.khanacademy.org/). In the drawbacks of this type of assessment, I will also discuss student opinions public press and, often, at our own institutions, the utility of these about the hands-on performance assessments. video lectures are debated. Proponents argue there is significantly lower cost associated with producing and archiving these videos AA05: 10:10–10:20 a.m. Kinder, Gentler Oral Exams when compared to traditional instruction. Others couple these

Contributed – Joss Ives, University of the Fraser Valley, Abbotsford, British videos to traditional instruction in a “flipped classroom” environ- Columbia, V2S 7M8 Canada; [email protected] ment. Still others contend that these videos make it too easy to forego more active engagement (e.g., inquiry). This panel discus- Oral exams can provide effective assessment of student understanding of theoretical, analysis and experimental details in upper-division labs. Unfor- sion (discussants: Frank Noschese, Noah Podolefsky, and Andy tunately the most common implementation involves putting students “on- Rundquist) aims to provide attendees with information about the-spot” by asking them to put together coherent explanations moments this new mechanism for content delivery. A 30-minute wrap-up/ after being asked a question. This talk will discuss some modifications that open discussion will be held after discussants have presented their I have made to address some of the aspects that I found to be the most views. This session will be video recorded and remotely accessible. intimidating and challenging when I was assessed using oral exams during my career as a student. The primary modification used to create my kinder, gentler oral exams was to present the student with three questions and then Session AC: Frontiers in Astronomy allow them to have some time to collect their thoughts as well as consult their resources before the formal part of the assessment was started. and Space Science Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom III AA06: 10:20-10:30 a.m. Delving Deeper: Revitalizing a Sponsor: Committee on Space Science and Astronomy Modern Physics Laboratory. Date: Monday, July 30 Time: 8:30–10:30 a.m. Contributed – Christopher A. Hoffmann, Department of Physics and Mallinson Institute for Science Education, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI Presider: Kevin Lee 49008-5252; christopher.a.hoffman@wmich,edu

Manuel A. Bautista, Buddhi M. Rai, Asma Ayyad, Gaetan VanGyseghem, AC01: 8:30–9 a.m. Physics of Low-Mass Stars and Brown Western Michigan University dwarfs

We recently found a number of concerns with our modern physics labora- Invited – John E. Gizis, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of tory: lack of clear objectives and goals, disconnection from the lecture, and Delaware, Newark, DE 19716; [email protected] minimal emphasis on data handling and analysis skills. To address these problems we have significantly redesigned our laboratory. The revised The vast majority of stars are smaller, less massive, and less luminous than laboratory’s goals are to develop the students’: 1) understanding of physics the Sun. I will discuss the main physical processes that determine the content, 2) skills in planning experiments, data collection, and analysis, structure and lifetime of a star. Stellar astrophysics makes use of familiar 3) scientific communication skills. To emphasize depth of understand- physics, such as gravity, the ideal gas law, and thermodynamics, in an un- ing, each experiment lasted for two weeks: one to collect data and another familiar context. I will explain the reasons why many astronomers believe to reflect and write. Group work is emphasized; students work in small that the first Earth-like world will be detected around a low-mass M dwarf. groups and submit a formal group report for each lab. Each member of the Physical laws imply that there is a lower mass limit to stars: For less than group rotates through the leader role. This talk will focus on the structure 7.5% of the mass of the Sun, stable hydrogen fusion is impossible. Known of the lab and a discussion of what went well and what did not. We are as “brown dwarfs,” these very-low-mass objects cool and fade. I will discuss happy to share our materials and would also welcome collaborators. recent discoveries that led to the development of new spectral types (L, T, and Y) and the status of the search for the coldest and nearest brown dwarf.

44 AC02: 9–9:30 a.m. The Physics of Classical Be Stars

Invited – M. Virginia McSwain, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015;

[email protected] Monday morning O- and B-type stars are the hottest and most massive classes of stars, and Spouses’ they drive the vast majority of the energy and chemical feedback into the Universe. A category of high mass stars known as classical Be stars have large circumstellar disks that are formed from material ejected from the stellar surface. Be stars are have emerged as fascinating examples of many Gathering different astrophysical phenomena: the effects of rapid rotation upon stellar structure and evolution, surface activity and mass loss via nonradial pulsations, and even very high-energy particle acceleration produced by the interactions of the disk with a compact companion. I will review the physical processes that are believed to contribute to the formation of the Connect with other circumstellar disks, and I will present new results from the Fermi Gamma- ray Space Telescope and other observatories that provide insight on the disk interactions. spouses and guests AC03: 9:30–10 a.m. What Is a Galaxy? Invited – Beth Willman, Haverford College, Haverford, PA 19041; bwillman@ of AAPT attendees. haverford.edu In the past five years, more than a dozen dwarf galaxies have been discovered around the Milky Way that are 100 times less luminous than any galaxy previously known and a million times less luminous than the Milky Way itself. These objects have made astronomers question the very meaning of the word “galaxy.” These discoveries hint that “ultra-faint” galaxies might actually be the most numerous type of galaxy in the Universe. This talk will highlight 1) how we can see galaxies that are effectively invisible in images of the sky, 2) the brewing controversy of the definition of the term “galaxy”, and 3) the implications of these new discoveries for our under- Monday, July 30 standing of dark matter. 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. AC04: 10–10:30 a.m. The Accelerating Universe Irvine Auditorium - Café 58

Invited – Masao Sako, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104; [email protected] My target audience for the high school version of Conceptual Physics Distance measurements with Type Ia supernova have played a central role from the outset has been ninth-grade students—to write a course that in modern cosmology, providing the first direct observational evidence for would sensibly place physics before chemistry and biology in the science an accelerating universe and the possible existence for the mysterious dark sequence. The mathematical structure of physics is highlighted by treating energy. This Nobel Prize-winning discovery, which has profound implica- equations as guides to thinking—creative thinking, before application to tions in all branches of physics and astronomy, is now being taught in algebraic and trig-based problems—which are now large in number. My classrooms of all levels. I will discuss various ways of presenting the basic focus is on delighting students rather than intimidating them. When a concepts, the experiments and measurements, as well as difficulties that learner’s first experience with physics is delightful, the rigor of a second both instructors and students encounter when teaching and learning about course will be meaningful and welcomed. this remarkable phenomenon. AD02: 8:30–10:30 a.m. Active Physics and the Next Session AD: Panel: Textbooks and generation Science Standards Panel – Arthur Eisenkraft, UMass Boston,100 Morrissey Blvd. W-4-181, Labs Suitable for Ninth-Grade Physics Boston, MA 02125; [email protected] Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom IV The Framework for K-12 science education and the related next generation Sponsor: Committee on Physics in High Schools science standards will require us all to take a fresh look at what we teach Date: Monday, July 30 and how we teach it. This new approach to physics learning can provide Time: 8:30–10:30 a.m. a new opportunity for schools to consider introducing physics into the ninth grade. Active Physics’ features have always reflected what we know Presider: Barry Feierman from research on how people learn and align very well with aspects of the new Framework. Active Physics uses a problem-based learning model to Authors of the major textbooks aimed at ninth graders in a “Phys- structure each chapter, employs a 7E instructional model, broadly assesses ics First” style course will discuss their recent textbooks and lab students, as well as introducing students to engineering design models manuals. Invited speakers will include Arthur Eisenkraft (Active and emphasizing the relationship of physics principles to the disciplines of Physics) Paul Hewitt (Conceptual Physics) Tom Hsu (CPO’s chemistry, biology, and earth science. Active Physics can support the kind Physics: A First Course) and Colleen Megowan (Modeling). An of instruction that teachers want to deliver in high school courses. introduction and final wrap up will be done by John Hubisz and Barry Feierman. AD03: 8:30–10:30 a.m. Modeling Physics Curriculum resources for Ninth Grade Physics AD01: 8:30–10:30 a.m. Conceptual Physics – A First Course for all Seasons Panel – Colleen Megowan-Romanowicz, American Modeling Teachers As- sociation, 2164 E Ellis Dr., Tempe, AZ 85282; [email protected] Panel – Paul G. Hewitt, City College of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA Modeling Instruction is a guided inquiry approach to teaching physics that 94112; [email protected] is centered on a handful of conceptual models that form the content core July 28–August 1, 2012 45 of physics. While Modeling pedagogy embodies an approach to curricu- AE02: 8:40–8:50 a.m. Exploring Student Difficulties with lum design that can be used with any text, most Modelers prefer to use Buoyancy instructional materials designed specifically with the Modeling classroom in mind. Extensive electronic curriculum resources allow the individual Contributed – D. J. Wagner, Grove City College, 100 Campus Dr., Grove City, teacher to customize the scope and sequence of instruction to suit local PA 16127; [email protected] needs. These resources include paradigm labs, teachers’ notes, student Elizabeth Carbone, Matthew Goszewski, Kathryn Merrymon, Grove City problems and worksheets, lab practica, quizzes and tests and many have College been adapted for use in Ninth Grade Physics First setting. In this session Sam Cohen Dallastown, High School/Grove City College I will share course syllabi and a variety of ninth grade Modeling physics materials currently in use across the nation in a variety of settings that are Our research group is developing a standardized fluids assessment, aligned with the draft Next Generation Science Standards due to be final- covering buoyancy and pressure. Understanding buoyancy requires a ized this year. battery of skills and knowledge, and we have designed questions to probe Monday morning understanding of background concepts such as density, incompressibility, AD04: 8:30–10:30 a.m. Essential Physics: An Innovative and volume of fluid displaced. In this talk we will describe some of the buoyancy-related assessment questions, the misconceptions they probe, Curriculum for Teaching and Learning Physics and the preliminary results from the beta version of the assessment. Panel – Manos Chaniotakis Ergopedia, 180 Fawcett St., Cambridge, MA 02138; [email protected] AE03: 8:50–9 a.m. Exploring Student Difficulties with Physics education is at an inflection point: changes in technology offer new Pressure in a Fluid modes for curriculum delivery and student engagement; differing needs Contributed – Matthew Goszewski Grove City College 75 Doe Haven Circle among students present pedagogical challenges; internal and external re- Depew, NY 14043 United States [email protected] quirements for professional development strain school resources; and limited school budgets point to new business models for curriculum develop- Adam Moyer, D. J. Wagner, Grove City College ment and distribution. Essential Physics is a new curriculum that addresses Our research group is developing a standardized fluids assessment, cover- these issues through an innovative e-Book technology that integrates the ing buoyancy and pressure. Much of the prior research of student difficul- full interactive power of electronic media into the learning process. It ties with pressure involves younger children. Many of the questions on the incorporates all STEM components and provides multiple learning and beta-version of the assessment used this past year were designed to test the enhancement paths. The Essential Physics curriculum includes: embedded prevalence of those difficulties in college students. In this talk we will de- multimedia animations and videos; interactive elements and simulations; scribe the pressure-related assessment questions, the misconceptions they expanded support for mathematics; interactive problem solving strategies; probe, and the preliminary results from the beta version of the assessment. searchable content; dynamic assessment; cross-indexing; and a page-to- page match between the print and electronic versions. These novel features of Essential Physics provide a new model for science curricula. The features AE04: 9–9:10 a.m. How Do Students Learn Graphs? of Essential Physics will be demonstrated and discussed. Contributed – James T. Laverty, Michigan State University, Biomedical and Physical Sciences Building, East Lansing, MI 48824; laverty;[email protected] Gerd Kortemeyer, Michigan State University Session AE: PER: Topical Understand- Graphs play an important role in all of the sciences, as well as in daily life. Introductory Physics classes are a good place to teach students how to con- ing – Introductory Level nect graphs to the real world. The obvious question becomes, “What is the Location: Houston Hall - Class of 49 best way to teach students to read and use graphs correctly?” This talk will Sponsor: Committee on Physics Education Research compare student learning of graphs with construction-based homework Date: Monday, July 30 problems versus with interpretation-based homework problems. This Time: 8:30–10:30 a.m. research was carried out using both computer-based (in an online course management system, namely LON-CAPA) and paper-based problems. Presider: TBA AE05: 9:10–9:20 a.m. How Energy Theater Supports Participants in Accounting for Energy* AE01: 8:30–8:40 a.m. DC Circuits: Variation of Student responses to Simple Contextual Changes Contributed – Sarah B. McKagan, Seattle Pacific University, West Seattle, WA 98119; [email protected] Contributed – Ignatius John, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Bel- Abigail R. Daane, Amy D. Robertson, Rachel E. Scherr, Seattle Pacific ville, 7533 South Africa; [email protected] University Saalih Allie, University of Cape Town Energy Theater is an embodied learning activity in which participants act It is common practice when researching student understanding of intro- out energy transfers and transformations with their bodies. We have ob- ductory DC circuits to assume that using the brightness of a light bulb served that participants in Energy Theater are often surprised by scenarios as a proxy for current leads to results that can be generalized. While this in which large quantities of energy are transformed from kinetic to ther- conclusion may indeed be consistent with a classic “misconceptions” view, mal. This surprise appears to be a result of an expectation that a quantity it is not clear that this is true from a “knowledge in pieces” perspective in of energy should be equally “perceptible” in different forms, an expectation which context and cognitive “grain-size” are key components. We report that is violated when easily visible kinetic energy transforms into imper- on a study with first-year physics students in which we made contextual ceptible thermal energy. We claim that Energy Theater enforces energy changes to an “open circuit” in order to measure the effect of such changes conservation in a way that pushes participants to recognize the presence to student responses. The eight-question instrument that we designed in- of forms of energy that they do not expect, and to adjust their models of cluded representational, linguistic, and (circuit) elemental variations. Our scenarios to take into account counterintuitive phenomena. findings indicate that while the changes might appear trivial to an expert *This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation they significantly affect the way in which students respond. under Grant No. 0822342.

46 AE06: 9:20–9:30 a.m. Understanding Energy with an AE08: 9:40–9:50 a.m. Probing the Origins of Students’

Embodied Learning Activity* naïve Preconceptions: Force and Motion*

Contributed – Rachel E. Scherr, Seattle Pacific University, West Seattle, WA Contributed – Lei Bao, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210; Monday morning 98119 United States [email protected] [email protected] Hunter G. Close, Texas State University Aaron M. Adair, Ohio State Sarah B. McKagan, Stamatis Vokos, Seattle Pacific University A significant consideration in PER is student preconceptions at variance A scientific understanding of energy includes (1) differentiating energy with modern physics, but also worthy of examination is the development from matter, including recognizing that energy dynamics do not uniformly of these erroneous notions. The preconceptions come about from the align with matter dynamics, and (2) coordinating theorized energy dynam- real-world interactions students have had before physics instruction, which ics with observational evidence of energy changes in physical systems. lead to complex network intuitive thoughts on how they feel and what We describe a learning activity called Energy Theater that is designed to they believe. During learning there are complex interactions between these promote a strong conceptual understanding of energy, including energy prior beliefs and what students learn in class, which need to be understood conservation, localization in objects, transfer between objects, and trans- if educators are to be successful. We examine a collection of first-term formation among forms. We provide evidence that Energy Theater engages calculus-based physics students using a set of linear motion questions learners with deep conceptual issues in the learning of energy, including along with interviews and further questions during one-on-one interview disambiguating matter flow from energy flow and theorizing mechanisms sessions. We investigate how students’ preconceptions are manifested for energy transformation. We attribute the effectiveness of this learning within the contexts of physical settings and personal feelings. The results activity partly to the special cognitive and interactional affordances of shed lights on how such preconceptions are formed through students’ embodied learning activities, in which human bodies represent physical experiencing the world and how instruction may be informed to better entities in a phenomenon. address such preconceptions. *This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation *Supported in part by NIH Award RC1RR028402 and NSF Awards DUE-0633473 under Grant No. 0822342. and DUE-1044724 AE09: 9:50–10 a.m. Student Understanding of “Force-of- AE07: 9:30–9:40 a.m. New Ways of Investigating the Motion” and Net Force in Various Contexts Canonical Ball Toss Problem Contributed – Rebecca J. Rosenblatt, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Contributed – Michael C. Wittmann, University of Maine 5709 Bennett Hall OH 43210 [email protected] Orono, ME 04469-5709 [email protected] Andrew F. Heckler, The Ohio State University Jeffrey M. Hawkins University of Maine We have previously reported that, when given a single force opposite to Asking students about the acceleration of a tossed object is a well-studied the direction of motion, students were more likely to invoke a “force-of- problem in physics education research. Students frequently respond using motion” than when given two forces, one force in the direction of motion reasoning that describes the velocity of the ball, in particular that accelera- and a larger force opposite. Here we elaborate on this finding, reporting on tion is zero at the top. We created new versions of the canonical multiple- student responses from a set of contextual situations with varying numbers choice Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation ball-toss questions to of forces on an object, both in the direction of motion and opposite to the investigate what other reasoning students might use. Some students were direction of motion. This comparison allows for a better understanding of asked “is the acceleration zero at the top?” These students were half as the students’ perceptions of the similarities and differences between net likely to give a velocity-like response (that a=0) as were students answering force and force-of-motion. This also allows for a better understanding of the canonical form. Other students were told “the acceleration is not zero” the nature of the well-known student confusion between force and velocity. and asked to explain. Roughly 75% of these students could explain why ac- Results indicate that attention must be paid to various combinations of celeration is not zero. This is in contrast to the 60% who say it is zero at the forces so that students may better understand the concept of net force and top. We discuss implications for instruction based on these data. overcome the incorrect notion of force-of-motion.

Kindle Drawing IN Kindle Drawing Monday, July 30 THE Houston Hall - Bodek Lounge 10:45 a.m. Houston Hall - Hall of Flags EXHIBIT 3:15 p.m. (Must be present to win) Purchase tickets in advance at HALL Registration

July 28–August 1, 2012 47 AE10: 10–10:10 a.m. Making Sense of Friction as an interaction Using System Schema Session AF: Teacher Preparation

Contributed – Brant Hinrichs, Drury University, Springfield, MO 65802; Around the World [email protected] Location: Sheraton – Ben Franklin Ballroom V After learning Newton’s second law, students in a university modeling- Sponsor: Committee on Teacher Preparation based introductory physics class are asked to imagine a box sliding across Co-Sponsor: Committee on International Physics Education a floor and slowing to a stop. Although they’ve had extensive experience Date: Monday, July 30 with friction in the context of energy, this is their first exposure to friction Time: 8:30–10 a.m. within the context of forces. They are asked to make different representa- Presider: Bob Poel tions for this scenario, including a system schema, and force diagram. Dur-

Monday morning ing their small group work, students quickly run into a difficulty: there are only two interactions with the box (contact, gravitational), so there should only be two forces, yet the box is slowing, which means it must have unbal- AF01: 8:30–9 a.m. Physics Education Research-based anced forces in the direction of acceleration. In this talk, I present evidence activities in Teacher Formation in Italy from the student-lead whole class discussion showing how the class uses the System Schema to help reason about this problem in a productive man- Invited – Marisa Michelini, Physics Section, DCFA University of Udine via ner and come to a useful consensus. delle Scienze, 208 Udine, IT 33100 Italy; [email protected] The teacher formation scenario in Italy is changing. It started very late AE11: 10:10–10:20 a.m. Investigating Students’ Under- (1999-2000) with a very good curricular plan at the university level standing of the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus* organized in four areas (teaching professional formation, subject-related education, education labs, apprenticeship). Primary teacher formation will Contributed – Rabindra R. Bajracharya, University of Maine, Orono, ME be structured in a five-year degree, after four-year degree up to now. The 04469; [email protected] certification to teach in secondary school will come after a specific bian- John R. Thompson, University of Maine nual Master for Teaching (MT), plus an extra year integrated with apprenticeship (total = three years, 180 ECT). Specific subject degrees (180 cts) The Fundamental Theorem of Calculus (FTC) is an extremely useful are required for each MT. The research-based physics teacher formation computational tool widely used for solving various physics problems. experience carried out in the biannual Specialization School for Second- It is implicitly invoked in the evaluation of integral problems. Research ary Teaching SSST active until 2008 and some pilot Masters will inspire in mathematics education has documented student difficulties with the the way to form the Pedagogical Content Knowledge of future teachers. underlying concepts of the FTC. We are investigating student difficulties The contribution will discuss the characteristics of some significant PER with the FTC, and extending the work in mathematics to include relevant Models implemented for physics teacher formation. situations in physics. Questions administered as written surveys and individual interviews in calculus-based introductory physics and multivariable calculus classes focused on the determination of signs of integrals, primar- AF02: 9-9:30 a.m. Physics Teacher Preparation at ily in graphical representations. Negative integrals in particular provided university of Helsinki, Finland a rich context for FTC application. We find that students use the FTC as Invited – Ari O.J. Hämäläinen, Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, a computational tool without understanding the underlying concepts. FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland; [email protected] One observed difficulty is an operational confusion between the function endpoints and the antiderivative endpoints when determining the integral Dan MacIsaac, SUNY-Buffalo State College signs. The standard physics teacher preparation program consists of a three- *This work is partially supported by NSF grant DUE-0817282. year Bachelor’s degree in Physics, followed by a two-year Master’s degree in Physics Education. Bachelor’s degree physics content courses are the AE12: 10:20–10:30 a.m. Sines and Signs – Student same as for all physics students, with laboratory experience, pedagogical difficulties with Trigonometric Vector Component methods and two written reports on physics education. Bachelor’s degree Problems students also complete a minor in a second teaching discipline (usually mathematics or chemistry). Master’s degree coursework continues Contributed – Brendon D. Mikula,* The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH extensive laboratory coursework, physics PCK, teaching practice, and 43210; [email protected] a graduate thesis in physics teaching. Most Mathematics Education Bachelor’s degree students complete a physics education minor. In Finnish Andrew Heckler, The Ohio State University schools, mathematics teachers qualified to teach physics outnumber those We investigated student understanding of simple vector component who have a Master’s Degree in Physics Education. Finnish physics teachers problems. Students in a calculus-based introductory physics class were do not complete upper-division physics courses common to U.S. Physics given a variety of vector component questions, with the angle placed in Bachelor’s degrees such as Classical Mechanics, Mathematical Methods, various orientations. For example, the angle could be given with respect etc. Physics content targets fostering deep conceptual understanding of the to vertical/horizontal, or with respect to the tip/tail of the vector. While physics studied in grade school. some angle configurations were almost error-free, on many configurations students often confused sine with cosine and committed sign errors. The AF03: 9:30–10 a.m. Secondary Physics Teacher types of errors observed were found to depend on the configuration of the given angle. Overall results suggest that many students based their answers Preparation at Hubei University on the most commonly seen canonical angle configuration, regardless of Invited – Weining Wu, Physics Department, Hubei University, 368 Youyi which angle was actually given in the problem. This suggests that students Avenue of Wuchang Wuhan, Hubei 430062, China; [email protected] need repeated practice on a variety of orientations, so that students do not become tied down to one familiar configuration. Dan MacIsaac, SUNY-Buffalo State College *Sponsor: Andrew Heckler Yimin Ding, Hubei University Physics teacher preparation programs in China are largely specified by the Central Government’s Ministry of Education, and the four year BS in Physics Education program in Hubei contains similar physics coursework (including upper lever coursework) to typical BS Physics degree programs for regular physics majors in the U.S. Additionally, candidates complete courses in educational methods, Physics PCK, five weeks of student teaching, and a thesis in physics education. Most undergraduates do not have

48 the opportunity to complete a minor, and most physics teachers do not Four years ago I was the newly minted full-time physics professor at Hart-

complete our two-year MEd in Physics program. Like general grade school nell Community College in Salinas, CA. I started with the idea of carrying teaching in China, physics teaching in Hubei is significantly test-driven on in the great tradition of my mentor as a renowned lecturer. However, I and suffers a lack of laboratory and phenomenological experiences. There soon developed a nagging feeling. Was there more to teaching physics than Monday morning is a surplus of physics teachers in most Chinese main cities like Wuhan, lecturing? The Two-Year College New Faculty Experience definitively an- the capital city of Hubei Province. I will further describe specifics of these swered that question. As a participant in the TYC NFE I have undergone a programs, success, and problems. dramatic evolution. In this talk, I’ll describe that process, namely strategies adopted as a result of the experience, what has worked and what still needs work. I’ll also discuss outcomes and future plans. Session AG: Two-Year College New AG03: 9:10-9:20 a.m. Experiences of TYC Professor from Faculty Experience Bismarck State College During the New Faculty Location: Irvine Auditorium - Amado Recital Hall Experience (NFE) Sponsor: Committee on Physics in Two-Year Colleges Contributed – Anthony M. Mwene, Bismarck State College, Bismarck, ND Date: Monday, July 30 58506; [email protected] Time: 8:30–10:30 a.m. The focus of my talk is on the changes I have made in my pedagogy due Presider: Thomas O’Kuma to NFE and ATE project for Physics Faculty (TYC and high school) Workshops. I continue in the tradition of most TYC faculty to modify and AG01: 8:30-9 a.m. Overview: New Faculty Experience for adapt curriculum (from different PER groups) to meet my students’ needs. two-Year College Physics Instructors* I will also present some projects that my students have done mostly in the area of video analysis--some as an end of semester project and others as lab Invited – Scott F. Schultz, Delta College, University Center, MI 48710; assignments. [email protected] Todd Leif, Cloud County Community College AG04: 9:20-9:30 a.m. Emphasizing a Collaborative The American Association of Physics Teachers has developed an 18-month Classroom Environment in a Studio Classroom experience to transform undergraduate physics programs at two-year Contributed – Anthony Escuadro, Department of Physical Science, Harold colleges by developing newly hired physics instructors. The program seeks Washington College, Chicago, IL 60659; [email protected] to equip these new faculty members with the tools, skills, and theory of active engagement techniques that have been developed based on Physics Jaime Millan, Harold Washington College Education Research and successfully implemented at Two-Year Colleges. Since 2010, we have taught all of the introductory physics courses at The lead presenters of the experience are all master two-year college Harold Washington College in an integrated lecture/lab format in a faculty that also serve as mentors for the participants as the new faculty studio classroom equipped with computers. Since the introduction of the work to implement novel techniques and strategies in the classroom. The studio classroom, we have successfully implemented several interactive- culmination of the experience is the commencement conference held in engagement methods and assessed these methods using a variety of tandem with this national meeting. This talk will discuss the professional research-based assessment instruments. After participating in the 2011- development delivered to the participants, the diversity of the group, and 2012 Two-Year College New Faculty Experience, I attempted to enhance the lessons we as leaders have learned from the experience. these activities by introducing classroom structures intended to foster a *Funding supported by NSF grant # 0940857 greater sense of collaboration and community among the students. This talk will describe how I incorporated elements of the modeling discourse AG02: 9-9:10 a.m. The TYC-NFE and Me: One Physics management technique into our studio classroom setting, as well as detail instructor’s Evolution from a Sage on the Stage to a some of the challenges I faced in fostering a learning community among our students. I will also present my attempts to measure the impact of these guide on the Side collaborative activities using both standard assessment tools and student Contributed – Brooke Haag, Hartnell College, Salinas, CA 93901; bhaag@ feedback. hartnell.edu

Early Career Professionals Speed Networking Event

Discuss career goals and challenges with one colleague for five minutes…

…and then move on to the next.

Monday, July 30 12:15 -1:15 p.m. Sheraton - Fairmount

July 28–August 1, 2012 49 AG05: 9:30-9:40 a.m. Effects of the NFE on New Two Year ceptions revealed during the new DC circuit lab and classroom activity, Physics Teachers compare these preconceptions to the literature, and discuss the results on students’ conceptual understanding of DC circuits. It will also address the Contributed – Adrienne Battle, 30157 50th Ln., S. Auburn, WA 98001; value of learning about your own students’ thinking which becomes visible [email protected] during active engagement learning.

The presenter will discuss how the New Faculty Experience (NFE) has AG10: 10:20-10:30 a.m. Teaching Enhancements at LCCC affected participants, using responses to a simple survey. Discussion will focus on how the NFE affected the participants’ views of Physics Education as a Result of the TYC-NFE Research, and how the NFE affected the participants’ views of teaching at Contributed – Brian Uzpen, Laramie County Community College, Cheyenne, two-year colleges. WY 82007; [email protected] Monday morning As a participant in the Two-Year College New Faculty Experience

AG06: 9:40-9:50 a.m. Making Active Learning Work in (TYC-NFE), I will discuss how I have modified my courses and teaching traditional Spaces methods. I will provide anecdotal evidence of my perceived results from the experience, a sample in-class and a sample modified laboratory activity Contributed – Darlene Brake, Anne Arundel Community College, Arnold, MD based upon methods discussed in the TYC-NFE. I will discuss student 21012; [email protected] reactions using end-of-semester surveys and analysis of student learning At Anne Arundel Community College a section of algebra-based intro- will be discussed using gains on the FCI in a limited number of courses. ductory physics lecture and lab was offered in a combined lecture/lab active-learning format during fall 2011 and spring 2012. The class met for two hours three days a week and was held in a 24-seat physics lab, whose Session AH: PER in the High School 40-year-old traditional layout presented logistical challenges. As one of five Location: CCH - Claudia Cohen Terrace sections, the course needed to cover a common list of lecture topics and lab activities. In this talk I will discuss the successes and failures I had in Sponsor: Committee on Research in Physics Education adapting the physical space and curriculum to incorporate the active- Co-Sponsor: Committee on Physics in High Schools learning techniques I discovered through the New Faculty Experience, and Date: Monday, July 30 the impact these changes had on student learning. Time: 8:30–10 a.m. Presider: Daniel Crowe AG07: 9:50-10 a.m. Studio Calculus-based Physics implemented at a Two-Year College

Contributed – Kristine PH Lui, Montgomery College, Germantown, MD AH01: 8:30-9 a.m. The Missing Disciplinary Substance of 20876; [email protected] Classroom Assessment*

While it has been known that active-learning strategies increase learning Invited – David Hammer, Tufts University, Paige Hall, Medford, MA 02155; gains, often implementation is challenging for a novice and requires ad- [email protected] ministrative support. Participation in the New Faculty Experience at Two- Janet Coffey Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Year Colleges (NFE-2YC) during 2011-2012 gave me hands-on skills in several active-learning methods. Support from my institution allowed me Daniel M. Levin, University of Maryland resources with which to develop and implement a workshop-based format Terry Grant, The Catholic High School for the first calculus-based physics course. At my institution, this course There has been a great deal of discussion about strategies for “formative has no associated lab component; the workshop format allows students to assessment” among educators and education researchers. Much of it, un- gain experimental experience as well as develop scientific deduction skills fortunately, sets aside the disciplinary substance of science, as we illustrate necessary for current and future academic success. This talk will focus on with examples from prominent publications. The discipline of science cen- the transition to the workshop format, give some example activities, and trally involves assessment, in particular of the quality and validity of ideas describe student feedback. about the natural world. The assessment practices students experience in schools should be continuous with the assessment practices of the disci- AG08: 10-10:10 a.m. Going YouTubing pline, not at odds with it. We offer an alternative image of formative assessment centered on attention to disciplinary substance, which we illustrate Contributed – Evan Richards, Lee College, Baytown, TX 77522-0818; with an example from a high school class discussion about the question of [email protected] whether air is matter. (Coffey, Hammer, Levin & Grant, 2011)1 Multimedia resources can be useful tools to meet certain needs of course *This work was supported in part with a grant from the National Science Foundation. activities. YouTube can be a particularly versatile resource given the wide The views we express, however, do not necessarily reflect those of the Foundation. variety of video clips available. I have come to view YouTube (no pun 1. J. Coffey, D. Hammer, D. Levin, & T. Grant, “The missing disciplinary substance of intended...) as a handy tool for a few specific purposes that I will discuss. formative assessment,” Journal of Research in Science Teaching (2011).

AG09: 10:10-10:20 a.m. Identifying and Changing AH02: 9-9:30 a.m. Challenging Traditional Assumptions of students’ Preconceptions in DC Circuits secondary Science through the PET Curriculum

Contributed – Krista E. Wood, University of Cincinnati, Blue Ash College, Invited – Mike Ross, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80504; Cincinnati, OH 45236; [email protected] [email protected] Inspired by the TYC New Faculty Experience, I implemented a DC circuit Shelly Belleau, Mapleton Expeditionary School of the Arts activity into my algebra/trig-based introductory physics class and lab. The Valerie Otero, University of Colorado - Boulder classroom activity used bulbs and batteries to (a) let students discover This physics education research examines the role of high school students’ how current flows through a circuit by using evidence (bulb brightness) participation, positioning, and views of themselves in relation to physics to distinguish the difference in current through series or parallel circuits, learning. Two classes of students traditionally underrepresented in physics and (b) learn to measure voltage and compare voltage drops across bulbs were observed and interviewed in an urban high school using the Physics in various arrangements. A new series and parallel lab addressed students’ and Everyday Thinking (PET) curriculum. In the PET classroom, students preconceptions and filled a need for an introductory lab to supplement collect and analyze data to produce, and come to consensus on, the ideas a combination circuit lab. This session will discuss the students’ precon- that are the targets for instruction. Findings indicate that students came to

50 value and positively identify with the activities of physics through instruc- AH06: 10-10:10 a.m. Students’ Beliefs About their Role in the tion that fosters a more dignified student experience than traditional Learning Process approaches. Using the methodology of participant observation, we offer

convincing evidence that students’ motivation and positive relationships Contributed – Douglas H. Reed, Pulaski Academy, Little Rock, AR 72212; Monday morning with physics are attributable to the positioning of students as valued con- [email protected] tributors to the learning community. Inferences were made about essential John Eggebrecht elements of a “critical science curriculum,” and implications for curriculum Gay Stewart, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville development will be discussed. Students’ beliefs about their role in the learning process and about the AH03: 9:30-9:40 a.m. Physics Pedagogy and Assessment nature of knowledge affect their ability to learn. The importance of their in Secondary Schools: Overview beliefs may be amplified when instructional activities are more student directed. In this study, learning is measured with performance gains on a Contributed – Gordon P. Ramsey, Loyola University, Chicago, IL 60626; subset of items taken from the DIRECT concept inventory. These items [email protected] were specifically targeted by a sequence of inquiry-based activities derived Melissa M. Nemeth, Bogan HS, Chicago from the CASTLE approach to the study of DC circuits. Student-learner characteristics were measured along five dimensions: self-efficacy, teacher/ David W. Haberkorn, Loyola University Chicago student roles, simplicity of knowledge, quickness of knowledge, and self- Physics education has recently undergone major changes. Pedagogy, uses regulation. Comparisons of performance gains are made among groups of of technology, and assessment in physics courses have become important students with more or less productive beliefs along each of these areas of study. PER progress has been made at the college level, while little dimensions. has been done at the secondary level. This level is important as a preparation for advanced training in science and knowledge for the general public. Our research investigated what physics teachers in secondary education are AH07: 10:10-10:20 a.m. TOCUSO: Test of Conceptual doing in and out of the classroom to effectively educate their students. We understanding on High School Optics Topics studied pedagogical differences in high school physics courses with regard Contributed – Bayram Akarsu, Erciyes University, School of Education, to location, school type and student populations. Our survey of secondary Kayseri, 38038 Turkey; [email protected] physics teachers compared demographics, student backgrounds, teaching methods and assessment techniques. I will outline the research and our key Physics educators around the world often need reliable diagnostic materials results. See posters by David Haberkorn on demographics and pedagogy to measure students’ understanding of physics concepts in high school. correlations and by Melissa Nemeth on key results and recommendations. The purpose of this study is to evaluate a new diagnostic tool on high school optics concepts. The Test of Conceptual Understanding on High AH04: 9:40-9:50 a.m. Tourism Attitudes from Travel School Optics (TOCUSO) consists of 25 conceptual items that measure analysis and their Possible Impact in Phys.Classroom fundamental topics learned in high school curriculum. TOCUSO was designed with the use of various optics textbooks, Turkish University exam Contributed – Anne Tabor-Morris, Georgian Court University, Lakewood, NJ questions, and questions generated by the author. TOCUSO items were 08701; [email protected] structured as multiple-choice questions. 12 physics faculty members at the school of science and education validated questionnaire items. SPSS Timothy Briles, Georgian Court University program was utilized to calculate reliability values of the test. KR-20 value “What are the learning strategies of the students sitting in my was found around 7.3, which shows TOCUSO is a reliable measurement classroom?”physics teachers may ask. In this talk a comparison is made questionnaire. TOCUSO was applied to 183 high school students enrolled between the psychologies behind tourism, whose research is anthropologi- in 10th grade at the time of data collection process in Kayseri providence cally and sociologically rooted, and physics students’ learning strategies in Turkey. as they visit new material, including insight into how those strategies can change. When students navigate a new area of learning, they may take allocentric, midcentric, or psychocentric attitudes, as defined by tourism AH08: 10:20-10:30 a.m. Promoting Excellence Amongst research, which provide the tendency of students to preferentially choose under-Achieving Students in a “Physics & Industry” either route-learning or survey-learning of the material presented. It is Program postulated that the understanding of these attitudes by the teacher can enhance the physics classroom learning experience. Contributed – Zvika Arica, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel 76100; [email protected] AH05: 9:50-10 a.m. Students’ Views on Learning Physics Bat-Sheva Eylon, Weizmann Institute of Science from a Tourism Perspective “Physics & Industry” is a two-year Project Based Learning program in which high achiever 11th grade student pairs are tutored by expert physics Contributed – Timothy M. Briles, Georgian Court University, Lakewood, NJ teachers and high-tech engineers. The project focuses on an authentic 08701; [email protected] technological problem and the design of a functional artifact (e.g. an Anne Tabor-Morris, Georgian Court University electro-optics’ based cane for the blind). During the past six years, the In this session, the presenters will discuss the results of their research on instructional model has been implemented with groups of under-achieving high school physics students and their attitudinal dispositions towards the high school students, with a view to promoting physics knowledge and learning the subject matter. Specifically, the researchers asked the students learning skills as well as developing self-efficacy, self-regulation skills and to compare themselves to travelers touring a new area for the first time. creativity. We will focus on students’ learning difficulties and patterns and In addition, the researchers asked the students by which means they are how the instructional model and the mentors keep the delicate balance “navigating” their physics class and tried to see if there were any cor- between challenging students and providing appropriate support. We will relations to travelers and the way they choose to find their way around a report how in the process of micro-analyzing selected scenarios we refined new place. Finally, the researchers investigated the potential relationships the “Pintrich SRL model” (Pintrich, 2000) for characterizing students’ between students’ self-reported confidence in their understanding and the learning and their interaction with artifacts, peers and mentors. methods they feel most comfortable using to learn the material.

July 28–August 1, 2012 51 tions and interplay between the divergent disciplines of physics and art. Session AI: Teaching Physics to the Physics topics include light and color, sound, special relativity, forces, equi- Liberal Arts Major librium and gravity. These physics topics are connected to developments in the arts, for example the Impressionists and Cubism. This paper will Location: Houston Hall - Golkin address effective strategies used in the course, such as being “gentle” with Sponsor: Committee on Physics in Undergraduate Education mathematics and weaving the arts theme throughout laboratory activities. Date: Monday, July 30 For example, students determine the dependence of harmonic frequencies Time: 8:30–10:30 a.m. on string length and tension in a lab about standing waves. They use their data to interpret the reasoning behind a piano’s shape and the tuning of a Presider: Louis Rubbo guitar. The culminating activity in the lab involves students designing their own artistic pieces, the purpose being to display physical principles. This is an invited and contributed session on teaching conceptual *Sponsor: Paul Camp. Monday morning physics to non-STEM majors. This population of students enters

the physics classroom with dramatically different motivations, AI04: 9:40-9:50 a.m. Student Understanding of Mechanics perspectives, and preparations compared to their STEM colin a Sports Themed Physics Course leagues. Contributed – Samuel Cook,* Wheelock College, Boston, MA 02215; scook@ wheelock.edu AI01: 8:30-9 a.m. Scientific Reasoning Can Affect Chuck Fidler, Wheelock College Learning in the Conceptual Physics Classroom The engagement of non-science majors in introductory physics courses Invited – James C. Moore, Coastal Carolina University, Conway, SC 29528- is an issue in any introductory STEM course. Quantifying the effective- 6054; [email protected] ness of a course with a constant semester-long theme may change the way departments offer introductory science courses. The literature suggests College students not in science, technology, engineering and/or mathemat- that themed-based curriculum improves students engagement on a topical ics (STEM) majors enter the physics classroom with dramatically different basis (Wiseman and Chatterjee, 1997); however, the study of a semester motivations, perspectives, and preparations in comparison to their STEM long course with a constant theme has seen very little attention. In this pre- colleagues. This dramatic difference in student population may necessitate liminary report, we will report on students’ understanding of mechanics in a completely different approach to instruction. In this talk, we will discuss a sports-themed introductory physics course. The students enrolled in this the scientific reasoning abilities of the average non-STEM student, how class were liberal arts and education students who primarily enrolled in the preparation in reasoning impacts potential gains in content knowledge, course to fulfill a general education science requirement. Their under- and the implications for instruction in the conceptual physics classroom. standing of mechanics is measured through the “Force Concept Inventory” Specifically, non-STEM students demonstrate significant difficulty with (Hestenes, Wells & Swackhamer) and interviews and is presented in this proportional and hypothetico-deductive reasoning, and struggle to report. demonstrate learning gains in abstract content lacking directly observ- *Sponsor: Charles Fidler able exemplars (such as force and energy). The growing body of research demonstrates that development of scientific reasoning requires explicit intervention, and we present some preliminary results with taking an explicit AI05: 9:50-10 a.m. Evolution of Hybrid Conceptual Phys- approach. We also will discuss the potential need for a reassessment of the ics Course for Non-STEM Majors canonical sequence of topics in conceptual physics. Contributed – Paul G. Ashcraft, Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, Erie, PA 16563; [email protected] AI02: 9-9:30 a.m. General Education Astronomy, A Very Jonathan C. Hall, Penn State Erie, The Behrend College Potent Science Literacy Transformation Cocktail* Faculty at a branch campus of a large research institute were encouraged Invited – Edward E. Prather, University of Arizona, Center for Astronomy to develop hybrid courses to match the changing technology resources of Education (CAE), Tucson, AZ 85721; [email protected] the student population, enhancing the student’s learning experience. The Are you doing the job that our society needs you to do? Are you success- conceptual physics course was modified, replacing the Friday afternoon ful at it? How do you know? Over the past decade we have worked closely lectures with virtual lab activities, either video analysis or working with with hundreds of college instructors, postdocs, graduate students, and computer simulations. While student course satisfaction increased, an undergrads in collaborative research projects designed to help us under- unintended consequence was a drop in student enrollment for the course. stand fundamental issues of teaching and learning in college-level general This fosters a new debate: Should there be a course that meets the needs education astronomy and space science courses. The results from these of the few students who sign up for it, or should the course become more multi-institutional research collaborations have been used to transform traditional so more students will enroll? classrooms all over the country. We are creating learning environments that significantly improve the science literacies and engagement in STEM AI06: 10-10:10 a.m. Using Student-Formulated Sample of the many thousands of students taking these general ed. courses each Exam Questions in the Classroom year. By moving students along the continuum from non-science majors, to peer instructors, to researchers and curriculum developers, to STEM and Contributed – Jack Dostal, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC STEM education degree seeking students, we are creating the next genera- 27109; [email protected] tion’s “Ambassadors of Science.” In survey physics classes primarily for non-science majors, teachers often *Work supported by NSF Grant No. 0715517 use questions at the bottom levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy (Remembering, Understanding) as homework or examination questions. These questions AI03: 9:30-9:40 a.m. Where Physics Meets Art: Spelman tend to have little cognitive substance and are often memorized just for the College’s Natural Science Core short-term by students. We wanted to try something that improved upon this process. During the past year we asked students in a “How Things Contributed – Marta L. Dark,* Spelman College, Atlanta, GA 30314; mldark@ Work” course to write sample examination questions related to the mate- spelman.edu rial we covered during the past week. We’ll describe some of the benefits of Derrick J. Hylton, Spelman College such an approach, identify some things that have worked well in our class (and others that haven’t), and share some of the questions that students Physics and the Arts is a recent addition (in its third offering) for liberal have written. arts majors at Spelman College. The course is an introduction to connec-

52 AI07: 10:10-10:20 a.m. Teaching Online vs. Teaching

in-Class: Are They Really Similar?

Contributed – Mike Mikhaiel, William Paterson University, Wayne, NJ 07470; Monday morning [email protected] Teaching in an online environment contains many of the same issues found in teaching in a traditional classroom. Teachers must know their content area and be able to adjust the curriculum to best meet the needs of their students. Over the past decade, technology has grown tremendously and has created new methods that can greatly enhance learning for students. This growth in technology made the teaching of an online physics class as efficient as traditional in-class physics. The two most important issues to consider in teaching in an online environment are communication and organization. Just like traditional classrooms, lesson plans are critical. Get- ting the message across to students is the ultimate goal. In this discussion, I am going to show the similarities between my online physics lecture and my traditional in-class lecture. Also, I am going to show how I conduct my online physics experiments and compare that with my traditional physics laboratory experiments.

Ceremonial Session: AAPT Teaching Awards Location: Inn at Penn - Woodlands Ballroom Date: Monday, July 30 Time: 11 a.m.–12:10 p.m.

Presider: Jill Marshall Presenter: David Sokoloff

Paul W. Zitzewitz Award for Excellence in Pre-College Teaching – Mark D. Greenman

Mark D. Greenman, Marblehead High School, Marblehead, MA 01945; [email protected] Interactive Laboratory Experiences (ILE) – A Professional Development Recipe for Success: The speaker will discuss an in-service program that consistently resulted in substantial gains in physics content knowledge and discipline-based pedagogical knowledge for participating teachers. This professional development model was used during the summers of 2008 through 2011 with four cohorts of 23 secondary school teachers responsible for teaching physics concepts. The Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation (FMCE) was used in a pre-post-post-test format to assess teacher gains. Teachers were Mark Greenman compared based on certification, grade level assignment, undergraduate degree major, and district type. Teacher fractional gains ranged from .5 to .7 with teachers in every comparison group showing strong gains. Just as encouraging, these gains showed little or no decay overtime.

David Halliday and Robert Resnick Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Physics Teaching – Kevin M. Lee

Kevin M. Lee, University of Nebraska, Lincoln Center for Science, Mathematics, and Computer Education and the Department of Phys- ics and Astronomy, Lincoln, NE 68588-0111; [email protected] Letting Technology do what Technology is Good at! This presentation will provide an overview of many of the ways that I have applied technology in teaching introductory astronomy. These include many simulations, a database of dynamic visual peer instruction questions known as ClassAction, and a library of interactive ranking and sorting tasks. All of these NSF-funded tools are publicly available on the Astronomy Education at the Uni- versity of Nebraska website: http://astro.unl.edu. Kevin Lee Technology can also be used to move the imparting of information to the student outside of the classroom—in a pedagogy known as “flipping.” Several technologies allow an instructor to post their lectures on the web and ask students to prepare before class. Instructors can assess the level of preclass preparedness by using web-based assessment software to quiz over the lecture. Students will then come to class prepared to spend considerable time on peer instruction, lecture tutorials, and other group activities—an approach that lets people do what people are good at!

July 28–August 1, 2012 53 CRKBRL 1: Vidshare: Motivating and CRKBRL 2: Physics and Society Elucidating Short Videos You Can Crackerbarrel Use! Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom I Sponsor: Committee on Science Education for the Public Location: Irvine Auditorium - Amado Recital Hall Date: Monday, July 30 Sponsor: Committee on Educational Technologies Time: 12:15–1:15 p.m. Date: Monday, July 30 Time: 12:15–1:15 p.m. Presider: Steve Shropshire Presider: Mike Meyer Join your colleagues for a discussion of how AAPT members can Send the coordinator the URLs for your favorite short (less than contribute to the teaching of such physics-related societal issues as three minutes) online videos to be used for motivating students energy use, global warming, nuclear power, resource extraction, and or giving examples – or just bring them along! We will take turns pseudoscience. showing videos and explaining and discussing how they can be used in class. All URLs will be sent to all session participants after completion. Monday afternoon

Plenary: APS Division of Biophysics

Location: Inn at Penn - Woodlands Ballroom Date: Monday, July 30 Time: 1:30–3 p.m. Presider: Philip Nelson, University of Pennsylvania

Birds, Brains and Physics – the Fascinating Field of Biological Physics Schools of fish, flocks of birds, and stampeding elephants are examples of phenomena from the natural living world that can be described using the tools of physics. Biological physics is a rapidly developing field of research that lies at the boundaries of physics, chemistry, and biology, and seeks to contribute to our understanding of life. Professor William Bialek from the Physics Department at Princeton University uses statistical mechanics to describe a wide range of living phenomena, from amino acids in a protein molecule to networks of neurons to birds in flight. Professor Dezhe Jin from the Physics Department at Penn State University studies how complex bird songs, which share many common features with human speech, are controlled by the emergent dynamics of neurons in brains of songbirds. Understanding how birds sing will help to resolve the language-centric pathways in the brain.

Statistical Physics Approaches to Real Biological Systems

William Bialek, Department of Physics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544 Statistical mechanics gives us a language for describing the emergence of collective behavior. These phenomena can be exotic, as with superconductivity and superfluidity, or mundane (but subtle!), such as the rigidity of solids. Biological systems offer many examples of collective behavior, from the interactions among many amino acids that stabilize the structure of a protein molecule to the beautifully coordinated flight of birds in flocks. For decades, physicists have speculated that statistical mechanics should provide us with a way of thinking about these systems, but there was a huge gap between these theoretical ideas and experiment. In the last decade, it has been possible to close the gap, and move beyond metaphor to detailed calcula- William Bialek tions and quantitative comparison with data. I’ll review this work, leaning heavily on the flock of birds as an example, but also looking at proteins and networks of neurons. Astonishingly, all of these systems seem to be poised near a critical point in their natural parameter space, hinting at some deeper principles.

The Emergent Neural Dynamics of Bird Song Syntax

Dezhe Z. Jin, Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 Songbirds learn to sing songs like humans learn to speak. The songs of many species follow syntax crudely similar to the rules of human speech, and consist of stereotypical syllables strung together into variable sequences. Experimental and computational works, many by physicists, start to unveil how the collective dynamics of connected neurons in the songbird brain control the syntax. Neurons form unidirectional chain networks that drive the syllables. The chains are connected into branched networks. Neural activity flows along the branched pathway to produce syllable sequences. At a branching point, one of the connected chains is selected to carry on the activity, producing a probabilistic syllable transition. These results may shed light on how human speech is encoded in the brain. Dezhe Z. Jin

54 BA04: 3:30-5:30 p.m. Challenges and Rewards of a Session BA: Panel – Physics First: “Physics First” Sequence Success Stories in Delaware Valley Panel – Joseph J. Scherrer, Germantown Academy, Ft. Washington, PA 19034; [email protected] Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom I Sponsor: Committee on Physics in High School Thirty-seven of my 41 years of secondary physics teaching have been spent Date: Monday, July 30 in a “Physics First” classroom. Those experiences have provided innumer- Time: 3:30–5:30 p.m. able intellectual and practical challenges resulting in an ongoing realign- ment and reassessment of instructional goals and an annual rededication Presider: Barry Feierman to the aspirations of Physics First. This paper describes the evolution of Germantown Academy’s current three tiered Physics First sequence and the author’s time-hardened perspectives on what works. A panel of experienced teachers from the Philadelphia region will present the rationale for their school’s move to begin Physics BA06: 3:30-5:30 p.m. Physics Union Mathematics, Making Monday afternoon instruction in ninth grade, followed typically by Chemistry in it Work in Grade 9! 10th grade and then Biology in 11th grade in a “PCB” sequence. All of the schools represented will have at least a 10-year track Panel – Joseph Spaccavento, North Arlington High School, North Arlington, record with Ninth Grade Physics. Teachers will discuss both the NJ 07031 [email protected] pros and challenges of teaching physics to ninth graders. North Arlington HS is a suburban 9-12 high school in Northern New Jersey. After several years of preparation, the science sequence for the 2011-12 school year was changed from BCP to PCB. The physics curriculum for grade nine evolved from “Physics Union Mathematics” (PUM), BA01: 3:30-5:30 p.m. Physics First at The Baldwin School a physics curriculum linking middle/high school physics curricula and Panel – Jeffrey D. Goldader, The Baldwin School, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010; builds on the intrinsic mathematical reasoning to develop and strengthen [email protected] students’ mathematical concepts at the pre-algebra and algebra levels. PUM curriculum consists of logically connected modules that allow students to The Baldwin School in Bryn Mawr began teaching physics in ninth grade build their conceptual understanding of physics concepts, develop relevant in the early 1990s as a response to a revolution— not in physics, but in mathematical reasoning, and simultaneously learn how to think like sci- biology. Teaching a physics-chemistry-biology course sequence allowed entists. The PUM curriculum builds on the philosophy of the Investigative our science curriculum to reflect the changing emphasis in biology from Science Learning Environment (ISLE, Etkina & Van Heuvelen, 2007) This morphology and body systems to biochemistry. Our ninth-grade physics talk will focus on steps taken to implement this sequence change, advan- class emphasizes concepts in physics, while incorporating Algebra 1-level tages of physics and algebra teacher cross-curricular collaboration, and our math (Algebra 2 in the honors section) for calculations. We work to evaluation of student progress and performance to date. develop good lab practices, including written lab reports. Our girls enter chemistry in 10th grade ready to balance chemical equations, work pH and molarity calculations, and safely perform experiments. Our physics curriculum emphasizes our girls’ real-world experiences, to help them see the importance of physics and technology in everyday life. Advanced electives Session BB: Leadership Models in are available to girls in their junior and senior years who wish to continue their study in physics. Science Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom II BA02: 3:30-5:30 p.m. Physics First – Great for Concrete Sponsor: Committee on Women in Physics thinkers Co-Sponsor: Committee on Professional Concerns Date: Monday, July 30 Panel – Megan J. Williams, Westtown School, West Chester, PA 19382; Time: 3:30–5 p.m. [email protected] Presider: Juan Burciaga Physics First at Westtown is a hands-on engaging experience for students who are just entering algebra. We also offer an advanced section for ninth graders who are more advanced in mathematics. This has been a great BB01: 3:30-4 p.m. Project Kaleidoscope’s Summer Lead- way to reach our most concrete thinkers and prepare them for a college ership Institutes: Preparing STEM Faculty Leaders preparatory sequence of physics, followed by chemistry and then biology. One of the advantages to this sequence is most of the concepts we cover in Invited – Beth A. Cunningham, American Association of Physics Teachers, physics can be demonstrated in a way that students can see and touch. This College Park, MD 20740; [email protected] gives the kids a solid background to take into chemistry, where far more of Information will be presented on the Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL) the concepts are more abstract. Summer Leadership Institute (SLI), which PKAL has offered since 1996. The institutes are designed to help emerging STEM faculty leaders set a BA03: 3:30-5:30 p.m. Physics First Works for Us professional course for their future as agents of change on their campuses. Participants in this session will learn about a set of experiential learning Panel – Stephen Cooney, Delaware Valley Friends School, Paoli, PA 19301; exercises that immerse STEM faculty in cycles of learning and reflection. [email protected] These activities inform personal leadership development and the leader- My school, Delaware Valley Friends, implemented Physics First to ninth ship plans for specific projects at the home campus. I will also describe graders eight years ago. There have been a host of positive effects at many the SLI structure, discuss the ways in which the institute has evolved, and levels. It provides real-world math applications for students in all different highlight the institute’s impact on faculty careers. sections of algebra or even pre-algebra, therefore improving their understanding. Using a combination of Active Physics curriculum and Vernier BB02: 4-4:30 p.m. Increasing Opportunities Through experiments using Logger Pro software and their hardware, we have the students generating the data they are investigating. Among many other negotiation and Communication Skills Workshops. topics, they prove to themselves that acceleration due to gravity is constant. Invited – Sherry Yennello, Texas A&M University, Cyclotron Institute, College We follow physics with chemistry and biology, allowing for a variety of Station, TX 77843; [email protected] options in 12th grade, including a much more mathematically rigorous physics elective. The Committee of the Status of Women of the APS runs professional

July 28–August 1, 2012 55 development workshops for women physicists at the March and April BC02: 4-4:30 p.m. A Shaken Faith: Deconstructing the Art APS meetings. The program brings in professional facilitators to lead and Science of Teaching* half-day workshops in negotiation and communication. By bolstering their professional skills in these two critical areas, these women are better Invited – Stamatis Vokos, Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, WA 98119-1959; positioned to advance their career in physics. Some of the women who [email protected] have gone through the program have advanced into leadership roles within PER helps improve conceptual understanding. That is only part of our their professional society or their home institution. Originally offered for goals in teaching physics. We also want learners to become better learners, faculty and research scientists in industry and at National Laboratories, the to value consistency, to appreciate the beauty in physics, to be empowered program has expanded to serve post-doctoral research associates. Through to tackle previously inaccessible tasks, to leverage their new perspective for this program the field of physics is able to draw on a broader talent pool as the amelioration of their communities, etc. If the learners in our classroom more women are better prepared to assume leadership roles. are science teachers, additional teaching goals emerge. Prospective and practicing teachers should hone their content knowledge for teaching BB03: 4:30-5 p.m. The SACNAS Leadership Program: physics, value student ideas as the raw materials that shape instruction, Leadership Development for Underrepresented respond to the disciplinary substance of those ideas moment by moment, Minority Scientists believe that all students are capable of learning; in short, we want to enlarge teachers’ vision of what is possible in science education. The classroom re- Invited – Yvonne W. Rodriguez.* Society for the Advancement of Hispan- quires us to attend simultaneously to multiple stimuli. Sometimes, conflict- ics/Chicanos and Native Americans in Science, Santa Cruz, CA 95061; ing value systems within the instructor create internal conflicts that derail [email protected] learning. I will discuss a video episode in which I tried unsuccessfully to pursue several of the threads above as a “novice.” The analysis will seek to Joseph Garcia, Western Washington University present teaching in a broader framework than that of art or science. Donna Blancero, Bentley University *The work has been supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Richard Weibl, American Association for the Advancement of Science Grant # 0822342.

Monday afternoon Jack Mills, Independent Evaluation Consultant

BC03: 4:30-5 p.m. Framing, Epistemology, and All That Jazz: The Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Amer- icans in Science (SACNAS) is a society of scientists dedicated to fostering Why it Matters the success of Hispanic/Chicano and Native American scientists—from Invited – Edward F. Redish, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742- college students to professionals—to attain advanced degrees, careers, and 4111; [email protected] positions of leadership. One of its key initiatives is the SACNAS Summer Leadership Institute (SLI). The SLI, developed in collaboration with AAAS, Vashti Sawtelle, University of Maryland provides premier training designed for URM scientists and is open to all. Three decades of Physics Education Research (PER) have convinced many The institute prepares participants to assume leadership roles in the global teachers that their students may “bring misconceptions” to class that can be scientific community by offering advanced strategic trainings that develop difficult to overcome. But many do not realize that in the past dozen years, critical leadership skills. It is an intensive five-day course featuring small PER has documented that sometimes students’ difficulties are not about group exercises, keynote speakers, leadership development planning, net- “getting the physical principles wrong,” but rather about misinterpreting working opportunities and extensive community building among partici- the nature of the knowledge they are learning and what they are supposed pants. Successes and lessons learned in the planning, implementation and to do to learn it. I refer to these as “epistemological misconceptions.” They evaluation of this program will be presented. The SLI is partially funded by can affect student responses in subtle ways through dynamic framing of the NIGMS and is now in its fourth year. task at hand — students’ judgment about “what’s going on here” and what *Sponsor: Juan Burciaga knowledge it is appropriate to bring to bear. Sometimes these framings are labile and easily changed; in other cases they are robust and need serious pedagogical effort. I will give examples occurring across the curriculum Session BC: The Art and Science of and suggest some ways of dealing with these issues. Teaching Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom III Session BD: PER: Attitudes Sponsor: Committee on Research in Physics Education Co-Sponsor: Committee on Physics in Undergraduate Education Location: Houston Hall - Class of 49 Date: Monday. Juluy 30 Sponsor: Committee on Physics Education Research Time: 3:30–5:30 p.m. Date: Monday, July 30 Time: 3:30–5:30 p.m. Presider: Ray Burnstein Presider: David Brookes

BC01: 3:30-4 p.m. The Art and Science of Teaching with technology BD01: 3:30-3:40 p.m. Polarization on the CLASS in a general Education Physics Course Invited – Andrew D. Gavrin, IUPUI Dept. of Physics, 402 N. Blackford St., LD154, Indianapolis, IN 46202; [email protected] Contributed – David Donnelly, Texas State University-San Marcos, San Mar- Art (noun) \`ärt\ 1: skill acquired by experience, study, or observation* Sci- cos, TX 78666; [email protected] ence (noun) \`s?-?n(t)s\ 4: a system or method reconciling practical ends Eleanor Close, Hunter Close Texas State University-San Marcos with scientific laws* Like many aspects of teaching, the use of technology We used the Colorado Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS) is partly science and partly art. In this talk, I will present an overview of to assess changes in attitude during a general education course aimed at technology in education, including technologies that are primarily used by non-science majors. The course is two semesters in duration, and both instructors, those that are primarily used by students, and those that facili- semesters were surveyed. The survey was administered to a total of 1037 tate interactions among faculty and students. Throughout, I try to elucidate student in 26 different sections over three semesters. With this study, we the art of selecting technology and using it in an educational setting, and observe a variety of different attitudinal shifts in different sections, includ- ground this discussion in the science that supports our use of technology. ing large increases in favorable responses in some sections. In general one * http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ might expect that increases in favorable responses would be accompanied by decreases in unfavorable responses. However, we observe some situations with increases in both favorable and unfavorable responses, and

56 others with decreases in both. We will present an analysis of the attitudinal Using Propensity Score Matching (PSM) on national data (n=7505) drawn shifts, and discuss factors, such as instructor and method of instruction, from the Persistence Research in Science and Engineering (PRiSE) project, that might contribute to shifts in attitude. we test five commonly held beliefs including having a single-sex physics class, having a female physics teacher, having female scientist guest speak- BD02: 3:40-3:50 p.m. Investigating Students’ Affective ers, discussing the work of women scientists, and discussing the underrepresentation of women. The effect of these experiences is compared for Experience in Introductory Physics Courses female students who are matched on several factors, including parental Contributed – Jayson M. Nissen, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469 education, prior science/math interests, and academic background, thereby [email protected] controlling for the effect of many confounding variables. (NSF Career 0952460, GSE 0624444). Jon T. Shemwell, MacKenzie R. Stetzer, University of Maine Improving non-cognitive outcomes such as attitudes, efficacy, and persis- BD07: 4:20-4:30 p.m. Assessing Student Self-Confidence tence in physics courses is an important goal in physics education. This with the CLASS Learning Attitudes Survey investigation implemented an in-the-moment surveying technique called the Experience Sampling Method (ESM)1 to measure students’ affective Contributed – Andrew E. Pawl, University of Wisconsin-Platteville, 1 Univer- Monday afternoon experience in physics. Measurements included: self-esteem, cognitive sity Plaza, Platteville, WI 53818 [email protected] efficiency, activation, intrinsic motivation and affect. Data are presented showing contrasts in students’ experiences, (e.g., in physics vs. non-physics David E. Pritchard, MIT courses). Administering the CLASS to students in the mainstream freshman me- 1. R. Larson and M. Csikszentmihalyi, “Validity and Reliability of the Experience- chanics course at MIT yields significant negative shifts in all the categories Sampling Method,” J Nerv Ment Dis. 175(9), 526-36 (1987). related to problem solving and conceptual understanding. These shifts are consistent with the observations published by the creators of the CLASS. BD03: 3:50-4 p.m. Community and Collaboration in Upper- In the MIT sample, these shifts can be ascribed to five statements that unambiguously assess student self-confidence. No substantial shift is division Physics Courses observed in statements assessing students’ conception of what constitutes Contributed – Michael Loverude, California State University Fullerton, Ful- problem-solving expertise. By contrast, students enrolled in calculus-based lerton, CA 92834; [email protected] introductory mechanics at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, a small state engineering school, enter the course with significantly lower rates of Sissi L. Li Catalyst Center, California State University Fullerton expert-like responses in the non-self-confidence statements but similar As part of an ongoing study of student learning in upper-division courses levels of self-confidence, and leave the course without a significant shift in thermal physics and mathematical methods, we have examined students’ in either category of statements. Substantial remediation of the drop in approaches to homework completion and test preparation. For example, MIT student self-confidence statements has been achieved by a three-week students were asked to complete and submit supplemental information ReView course employing Modeling Applied to Problem Solving (MAPS) sheets with homework assignments. On the sheets, students reported, pedagogy. among other things, with whom they had worked and what resources they had consulted. The responses suggested very different strategies for BD08: 4:30-4:40 p.m. Evolving Positions and Acknowl- completing homework, and vast differences in the level of collaboration. In this talk, we report a preliminary examination of these responses and their edged Abilities: Expert Identity Development* relationship to performance on homework and course examinations. Contributed – Idaykis Rodriguez, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199; [email protected] BD04: 4-4:10 p.m. Learning Practices of Physics Majors Renee Michelle Goertzen, Eric Brewe, Laird H. Kramer, Florida International Contributed – Sissi L. Li ,California State University Fullerton, Fullerton, CA University 92831; [email protected] This study examines how graduate students become physics experts in a Michael E. Loverude, California State University Fullerton physics research group using Wenger’s apprenticeship framework within a Community of Practice. For an individual, the process of social reconfigu- Multiple researchers have reported that active engagement classrooms ration is a matter of identity development through participation. We ana- are associated with higher gains in student performance. However at the lyze data from an ethnographic case study of a biophysics research group individual level, increased student participation doesn’t always lead to high with two professors and four graduate students. Data consist of six months course performance. We propose that the classroom as a single community of participant observations and video recordings of the group’s research of practice (CoP) does not stand on its own but is interconnected with meetings, interviews, document analysis, and two months of observa- myriad other CoPs. Students doing physics in communities beyond the tions a year later. We present how students’ development of community classroom contribute to their physics major identity development. For ex- membership is a matter of identification, how an individual is recognized ample a student may develop a strong, persistent sense of being a physicist or labeled, and negotiability, how individuals position themselves based with parents as role models but only participate peripherally in class. To on their abilities to negotiate meaning in an interaction. Differences in elicit students’ perception about being a physicist and participation in rel- members’ ability to negotiate in an interaction informs us of their evolving evant CoPs, we collected a series of prompted reflective journals and indi- position within the research group and the acknowledgement of their abili- vidual student interviews in an upper-division course in thermodynamics. ties and technical expertise. In this talk, we present several case studies of these students’ physics major identity development and the communities in which they practice physics. *Supported by NSF Award # PHY-0802184

BD05: 4:10-4:20 p.m. Classroom Experiences that Help BD09: 4:40-4:50 p.m. How Tadao Avoided the “Culture Females Become Interested in Physical Science shock” of Reformed Physics Instruction* Careers: Testing Five Common Hypotheses Contributed – Michael M. Hull, University of Maryland 082 Regents Drive, College Park, MD 20742; [email protected] Contributed – Zahra Hazari, Department of Engineering & Science Educa- tion, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634; [email protected] Many educators struggle with student resistance to PER-based “active learning” curricula. We might expect that Tadao, a university student in Geoff Potvin, Robynne M. Lock, Florin Lung, Clemson University Tokyo using translated Maryland Open Source Tutorials,1 would exhibit Philip M. Sadler, Gerhard Sonnert, Science Education Department, Harvard such resistance. His previous physics experiences in high school (focused Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics on university entrance exam preparation) and in college had been very There are many hypotheses regarding physics classroom experiences that traditional; Tadao reported that he had developed a view of physics as may encourage female students to pursue careers in the physical sciences. knowledge to memorize and calculations to perform. However, despite this

July 28–August 1, 2012 57 Sissi Li, California State University Fullerton epistemological mismatch, Tadao (and other classmates) quickly adapted to the new style of learning and developed a more sophisticated view of what it While epistemology can go some way toward understanding student means to understand physics. Why wasn’t there more resistance? Tadao and performance, it has become clear that a number of other factors includ- a few other students credited elementary school with having provided “con- ing broader socio-cultural and systemic issues play critical roles. Using structivist,” tutorial-like experiences that made the adjustment easier. An Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) as a theoretical framework instructional implication for overcoming resistance to PER-based pedagogy we investigated various such aspects including systemic contradictions is the possibility of utilizing students’ “constructivist” experiences, even that lead to student under-performance. We present findings from studies ones seemingly distant from university physics. involving small groups of postgraduate students who transferred from 1. A. Elby, R.E. Scherr, T.L. McCaskey, R. Hodges, E.F. Redish, D.M. Hammer, & T. “Historically Black Universities” to the National Astrophysics and Space Bing, (2007). Open Source Tutorials in Physics Sense-making: Suite I. DVD retrieved Science Programme that is run at the University of Cape Town from http://www.spu.edu/depts/physics/tcp/tadevelopment.asp *This work is partially supported by NSF-IEECI grant # 0835880 Session BE: Video Analysis in Under- BD10: 4:50-5 p.m. Understanding the Learning Assistant Experience with Physics Identity graduate Education

Contributed – Eleanor W. Close, Texas State University-San Marcos, 601 Location: Sheraton - William Penn Suite University Dr., San Marcos, TX 78666; [email protected] Sponsor: Committee on Educational Technologies Date: Monday, July 30 Hunter G. Close, David Donnelly, Texas State University-San Marcos Time: 3:30–5:10 p.m. Learning Assistants (LAs) have been shown to have better conceptual un- Presider: Bob Teese derstanding and more favorable beliefs about science than non-LAs, and are more likely to choose a career in K-12 science teaching.1 We propose that

Monday afternoon connections between elements of identity, persistence, and participation in BE01: 3:30-4 p.m. Understanding Projectile Motion: an LA program can be explained using the concept of the community of practice and its intimate relationship to identity.2 In separate work, Hazari Comparing Video Analysis Activities to Other Approaches et al. found that physics identity was highly correlated to expressed career Invited – Priscilla W. Laws, Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA 17013; lawsp@ 3 plans in physics. We hypothesize that a thriving LA program has many dickinson.edu features of a well-functioning community of practice and contributes to all four elements of physics identity: “personal interest,” “student performance,” Robert B. Teese, Rochester Institute of Technology “competence,” and “recognition by others.” We explore how this analysis of Maxine C. Willis, Dickinson College the LA experience might shape decisions and influence outcomes of adop- Patrick J. Cooney, Millersville University tion and adaptations of the LA model. 1. Otero, Pollock, & Finkelstein, Am. J. Phys. 78 (11), 1218-1224 (2010). The LivePhoto Physics Group has been exploring the impact of guided 2. Wenger, Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity (Cambridge Univ. digital video analysis activities and other instructional methods on student Press, 1998). understanding of projectile motion with special emphasis on its graphical 3. J. Res. Sci. Teach. 47 (8), 978-1003 (2010). representations. A pre-/post- test instrument, the Projectile Motion Con- ceptual Evaluation (PMCE), was developed for this learning research. In this talk the PMCE will be described along with common pre-conceptions BD11: 5-5:10 p.m. Modern Physics Labs Using Respon- held by introductory physics students that the test reveals. In addition, sive Inquiry to Create Research Experiences preliminary results of the impact of various instructional techniques on PMCE gains will be presented for over 1000 students enrolled in 50 Contributed – Benjamin L. Stottrup, Augsburg College, Minneapolis, MN introductory physics classes. The instructional techniques explored include 55454; [email protected] use of video analysis, style of instruction (e.g. traditional lecture/lab vs. Sarah B. McKagan, McKagan Enterprises active learning), and whether 2D motion is introduced during the study Augsburg College offers a sophomore-level modern physics course with of kinematics or after Newton’s second law. This research is based on work associated lab. We will describe our redesign of this lab to create a semester- supported by NSF grants 0089380, 0424063 and 0717699. long responsive inquiry research experience focused on nanotechnology, materials characterization tools, and biology as an inspiration for engineers. BE02: 4-4:30 p.m. Advanced Video Analysis for Student Students gain hands-on experience using scanning electron microscopes, research atomic force microscopes, as well as other sample preparation tools, and develop their own research projects using the equipment. A goal of the lab Invited – Aaron Titus, High Point University, High Point, NC 27262; atitus@ is to give students an experience of what research is like and what a scientist highpoint.edu does, in order to improve their self-identity as scientists. The focus on Undergraduate research can be defined as students asking interesting ques- contemporary skill building is intended to meet the changing demograph- tions and finding answers to those questions. Video analysis is one of the ics of our student body (increased enrollment, interest in engineering, and most economical and effective experimental techniques to enable students first-generation college students). One goal of our project is to determine to do undergraduate research, starting with introductory physics and if the valuable experiences gained through undergraduate research can be continuing to upper-level physics. Particular features of Tracker—a free re-enforced, supplemented, or extended to a broader student population cross-platform, open-source video analysis application—allow students to through more traditional areas of the curriculum. We assess the impact of easily change reference frames, compensate for panning and zooming of a labs and undergraduate research experiences on students’ understanding of camera, auto-track objects, and test a numerical model. Exemplary student the process of science and what a scientist does, and on their self-identities projects from various schools will be demonstrated, including research as scientists. We identify general features of labs, research experiences, and projects from first-year to fourth-year physics students. If you want to other educational environments that may impact student’s self-identities as hook students on the excitement of independent discovery with a budget of scientists. $300 or less (for a camera), then video analysis is for you.

BD12: 5:10-5:20 p.m. Identifying Systemic Contradictions BE03: 4:30-4:40 p.m. Video Analysis as a Tool to Explore in a Post-Graduate Astrophysics Program Capillary Waves Contributed – Victoria Nwosu, University of Cape Town, Physics Department, Contributed – Tetyana Antimirova, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3 Rondebosch, 7701 South Africa’ [email protected] Canada; [email protected] Saalih Allie, Andrew Deacon, University of Cape Town Surface tension is one of many topics that over the years quietly disap- Dedra Demaree, Oregon State University 58 peared from almost all standard undergraduate physics curricula. Yet, this BF01: 3:30-4 p.m. The ASTRO 101 Teacher’s New Toolkit particular topic is very important at least for the life science programs, be- for Addressing Diversity* cause surface tension plays an important role in biophysics and physiology. Invited – Mark Reiser, University of Wyoming, Center for Astronomy & Phys- (Perhaps one of the most dramatic examples is so-called infant respiratory ics Education Research,** Laramie, WY 82070; [email protected] syndrome caused by the lack of lung surfactant in premature babies’ lungs, which can be fatal without treatment). Surface tension can manifest itself ASTRO 101 professors start each new year with increasingly diverse groups in capillary waves that propagate on the surface of liquids under certain of non-majoring undergraduate students populating their classrooms. conditions. We will describe a couple of simple experiments using motion By and large, the current cadre of ASTRO 101 teachers fully understand video analysis to study a propagation of such capillary waves and to mea- the value and importance of having a wide diversity of students who sure a coefficient of surface tension. understand and contribute to the scientific enterprise; yet, few professors have had the opportunity to learn how to best teach the quickly broaden- BE04: 4:40-4:50 p.m. Gelatin Jiggles or Determining the ing range of contemporary student audiences in multi-cultural classrooms. This presentation serves as a first-steps departure point for faculty interest- shear Modulus of Gelatin ed in improving teaching to diverse student bodies. Strategies highlighted Monday afternoon Contributed – Craig M. Jensen, Northern Virginia Community College, Annan- include negotiated syllabi, structured collaborative learning, mini-debates, dale, VA 22003-3796; [email protected] and backwards faded scaffolding, among others. The talk surveys the current landscape of interactive teaching methods, as well as the barriers to Gelatin has been known to jiggle for some time. Analysis of the oscilla- be overcome, when effectively teaching and providing inquiry experiences tions of gelatin as a damped harmonic oscillator will be demonstrated specifically designed to engage all students. 1 using LoggerPro. These oscillations are then used to determine the shear * Resources available online at URL: http://www.caperteam.com. Work supported in modulus of gelatin. LoggerPro will also be used to demonstrate resonance part by the Wyoming Excellence in Higher Education Endowment, NASA NNH11Z- of the gelatin system. DA001N-EPOESS, NSF OEDG 1108238 & NSF TUES 1044482. 1. LoggerPro is a licensed product of Vernier Software & Technology. **Sponsor: Tim Slater

BE05: 4:50-5 p.m. OpenTrack: A Browser-based Video BF02: 4-4:30 p.m. Learning Critical Thinking Through tracking and Analysis Tool astronomy*

Contributed – Timothy A. Niiler, Penn State Brandywine, Media, PA 19063; Invited – Joe Heafner, Catawba Valley Community College, Hickory, NC [email protected] 28602; [email protected] OpenTrack (OT)*, is a Firefox-based video tracking application that sup- Learning Critical Thinking Through Astronomy is a project intended to ports both manual and automatic digitization of video for physics and teach astronomy upon a foundation of critical thinking. Formal reason- biomechanics related research and teaching. Compared to many video ing must be explicitly taught, much like skills that must be taught first in tracking applications, OT features a flow-based approach to tracking instrumental music. Too often, we who teach science fail to teach the fun- which we have found helpful for students trying to learn the process. OT damental skills we tacitly assume students already have. LCTTA attempts includes a number of analytic tools including statistics, fitting, and script- to address through inquiry in critical thinking first, and then application ing support which can help advanced users with reduction of complex data of critical thinking to astronomy. This talk will summarize the project and sets and which can introduce novices to basic coding. A number of labs its approach. and pre-recorded videos are downloadable via OT, and there is extensive *The LCTTA website is www.sticksandshadows.com/lctta/lctta.html with free materi- screencast-based help for users. OT also has an integrated HTML report als available. editor which can automatically import selected graphics from the tracking portion of the program. Additionally, the editor supports graphics editing, a whiteboard mode that allows students to record drawing and derivations, BF03: 4:30-4:40 p.m. Using Virtual Planetarium Programs equation rendering using JSMath, tables, video import, and a presentation for Online Lab Instruction mode. Contributed – Gregory L. Dolise, Harrisburg Area Community College, Har- *Please see http://www.niiler.com/opentrack/opentrack.xpi for latest update. Note: risburg, PA 17112; [email protected] this is a Firefox extension. The use of virtual planetarium software to reinforce basic concepts and BE06: 5-5:10 p.m. Passage of Asteroid 2005 YU55 combat misconceptions will be discussed. Programs such as The Sky or Starry Night are frequently packaged with textbooks, and freeware pro- Contributed – Stephen Luzader, Frostburg State University, Frostburg, MD grams are widely available, enabling all students to experiment firsthand 21532; [email protected] with celestial motions. Students can experience how planets move in On Nov. 8, 2011, asteroid 2005 YU55 passed closer to the Earth than the relation to stars, why retrograde motion occurs, how stellar altitude varies Moon. It afforded an opportunity to do a different kind of video analysis. with latitude, and a wide range of other activities. Misconceptions about Using a digital camera set to take exposures automatically at a fixed rate, astrology and horoscopes are quickly put to rest by examining the Sun’s we recorded the motion of the asteroid across the sky over a period of 35 true position along the zodiac. All of these activities are currently being minutes. By measuring the position of the asteroid in successive images, its employed by the author in online planetary and stellar astronomy courses. transverse speed could be determined by using its distance from the Earth, which was obtained from an online ephemeris. Movies made from the BF04: 4:40-4:50 p.m. Improving Student Understanding of individual images will be shown, and the speed results will be presented. astrophysics Concepts This stop-motion type of video analysis can be applied to other phenomena that occur over long time intervals. Contributed – Heather A. Rave, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901; [email protected] Session BF: Innovations in Teaching Eric Gawiser, Saurabh Jha, Eugenia Etkina, Rutgers University As part of an effort to improve students’ learning of astrophysical phe- Astronomy nomena, we are investigating strategies to improve students’ conceptual understanding in the undergraduate Astrophysics classroom: Physics 342 Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom V Principles of Astrophysics. Although students used to do well on quantita- Sponsor: Committee on Space Science and Astronomy tive problems, their performance on conceptual quizzes was lacking. In an Date: Monday, July 30 attempt to improve student conceptual understanding, we made changes Time: 3:30–5:30 p.m. to the course in the spring of 2012. We added conceptual questions to the Presider: Trina Cannon student’s homework problem sets and expanded in-class conceptual questions. We collected student homework assignments and student work on a July 28–August 1, 2012 59 midterm conceptual quiz. The findings of this preliminary research project lecture tutorials, think-pair-share questions and small group discussions to will be used as a guide for the development of the Physics 341 and Physics help these students develop and retain a good understanding of astrophysi- 342 Principles of Astrophysics courses. We will present a brief overview of cal concepts. Occasionally, we offer projects that allow students to explore the project, with special attention to the findings that emerged. course topics beyond the classroom. We hope that such projects will increase students’ interest in astronomy. We also hope that these assignments BF05: 4:50-5 p.m. High School Heliophysics Research will help students to improve their critical thinking and writing skills. In spring ‘12, we are offering three short individual essay assignments in our using Online Resources face-to-face sections. The essays focus on transits, eclipses and occultations Contributed – Tiffany Coke,* Punahou School, Honolulu, HI 96822; tcoke@ to highlight the 2012 transit of Venus. Details of the essay assignments and punahou.edu students’ reactions to them will be presented at the meeting. Kathryn Whitman, Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii at Manoa Do sunspots appear in patterns? How can we find out? Using available Session BG: PER Around the World resources from NOAA, high school students will determine for themselves Location: CCH - Claudia Cohen Terrace the 11-year sunspot cycle. What can sunspots tell us about the rotation rate Sponsor: Committee on International Physics Education of the Sun? Using the free application JHelioviewer downloaded from the Internet, students will plot sunspots over time both near the center of the Co-Sponsor: Committee on Research in Physics Education Sun and also near the poles to determine the differential rotational period. Date: Monday, July 30 The focus of this 60-90 minute activity is to allow students the opportunity Time: 3:30–5:10 p.m. to see how many valid sources of scientific data are readily available online, Presider: Genaro Zavala and also to use data to confirm unexpected outcomes. *Sponsored by the Institute for Astronomy Heliophysics group, Mary Kadooka This is an invited and contributed session designed for reports from groups around the world working on Physics Education

Monday afternoon BF06: 5-5:10 p.m. Astronomy Demos for College Students Research. We include research approaches, perspectives, and

to Do results in different countries; successes and challenges of this area Contributed – Mary Lou West, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ of research around the world; and the effect of the structure of dif- 07043; [email protected] ferent school systems on research on physics education. Lecture demonstrations are powerful, especially when done by students who rehearse from scripts the week before. Later, on tests, they explain BG01: 3:30-4 p.m. Research Communities on Education in another’s demo with enthusiasm. Most of these demos are classics, but the an Engineering School in Chile* student scripts are new. Solar system demos: Sundial Types, Analemma, Retrograde Motion, Blue Sky, Foucault Pendulum, Radioactive Half-life, Invited – Hugo Alarcon, Universidad Tecnica Federico, Santa Maria Av. Moon Figures, Jack and Jill, Lunar Phases, Eclipse Geometry, Impact Espana 1680, Valparaiso, 2340000 Chile; [email protected] Craters, Conic Sections, Mars Rovers, Spin Oblateness, Titius-Bode’s Rule, Arie Aizman, Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria Scale Models, Warped Space Orbits, Make a Comet, Sun’s Diameter, Sun’s The Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria is a well-known Chilean Magnetic Field, Photon Random Walk, Sunspotter Sunspots, and Sunspot institution focused on educating engineers. It has no school in Science Brightness. Stellar Demos: Reading Star Charts, Twinkling, Parallax, Education nor in Engineering Education. In recent years there have been Counting Stars, Star Temperatures/Colors, Emission Line Spectra (spiral various initiatives by professors to implement methodologies that promote fluorescents), Binary Systems, Astroblaster Supernova, Pulsar Models, active learning in the classroom and incorporate the use of information and Ultraviolet Supernova Colors, Filters for Supernova Remnants, Milky communication technologies to support teaching and learning processes. Way Model, Angle of Solar System, Galactic Velocity Curve, Hubble Atlas, In general, these innovations have been carried out without performing re- Galaxy Collisions, Age of the Universe, Center of the Universe, Expansion search in education to assess progress. Thus the university, with government of Space, and Cosmic Timeline. support, has created a research center focused on education in engineering and science, which has taken some ideas from the discipline of Physics BF07: 5:10-5:20 p.m. Astronomy Course for Non-Science Education Research. In this talk we will show the strategy used to motivate Majors and Amateur Astronomy Society Partnership professors to initiate educational research projects and the progress of the first seven research communities on education created since 2011. Contributed – Judith Parker, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA 18104; *This work has been supported by the Government of Chile through the grant [email protected] MECESUP FSM-0802. Muhlenberg College, a liberal arts college in Allentown, PA, is located about 15 minutes drive from the site of the Lehigh Valley Amateur Astro- BG02: 4-4:30 p.m. Development of Meaningful Learning nomical Society (LVAAS). This presentation will detail two activities that through Active Learning and Video Analysis* have resulted from the partnership of these two organizations to benefit all students on campus and provide non-major astronomy students the Invited – Omar Olmos, López Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores opportunity to do research at the LVAAS site as an option for meeting de Monterrey, Eduardo Monroy, cárdenas 2000 Toluca, México; oolmos@ their course requirements. The on-campus star party began as a year of as- itesm.mx tronomy event in 2009 and has been repeated each semester since. Over 90 PDSM (progressive development of skills methodology) is a methodology students participated in spring, 2012 (24 students were taking astronomy for the development of general skills for learning physics. Using a process that semester). Astronomy students study spectra and do a computer of progressive development skills, we show how active learning and video simulation lab as an integral part of the course. Interested students have the physics analysis generate learning experiences that allow us to develop gen- opportunity to use the LVAAS telescopes and spectrometer and actually eral and disciplinary skills. Using a gradual process, deep learning is gained take the spectra of visible stars, planets, and nebula for spectral analysis. through the process of cognitive construction of John Biggs. Interactive activities allow students to understand and associate the fundamental phe- BF08: 5:20-5:30 p.m. Introductory Astronomy Essays on nomena that subsequently lead to understanding more complex concepts. transits, Eclipses and Occultations Results of learning in undergraduate courses are shown. *Project supported by the ITESM Campus Toluca. Contributed – Noella D’Cruz, Department of Natural Sciences, Joliet Junior College, Joliet, IL 60431; [email protected] BG03: 4:30-4:40 p.m. Promoting High-Level Cognitive Joliet Junior College, Joliet, IL, offers a one-semester introductory astron- activity in Student-Generated Content omy course each semester. We teach over 110 primarily non-science major students each semester. We use proven active learning strategies such as Contributed – Ross K. Galloway, University of Edinburgh, School of Physics 60 and Astronomy, James Clerk Maxwell Building, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, United Kingdom R.C.A.; [email protected] Kingdom; [email protected] Simon P. Bates, Cait MacPhee, University of Edinburgh Simon P. Bates,University of Edinburgh This study explores the existence and degree of gender disparity in student Morag M. Casey, University of Glasgow performance in physics courses at the University of Edinburgh between Student-generated content — for example, student-authored course ques- 2006-2012. We have used pre- and post-instruction implementation of tions—is increasingly being used to promote engagement and learning in the Force Concept Inventory to identify the presence of a significant per- undergraduate courses. Given the relative rarity of such tasks in the previ- formance gender gap in our introductory physics course, which is taught ous educational experience of typical students, a natural question is: what in an interactive engagement style. Data will be presented indicating that kinds of questions do the students create? It is possible to broadly classify this significant gender discrepancy persists after one semester of teaching student output according to the cognitive domains of Bloom’s taxonomy. although the gap is narrowed. In addition to standardized tests, a gender Previous work has suggested that the vast majority of student authored analysis was carried out of students’ performance on both continuous questions fall into the lowest levels of Bloom’s taxonomy, i.e. simple recall assessment and end-of-course examinations in several years of the undergraduate programme to investigate the possibility of gender dependence on or comprehension. We report on a series of student-question authoring tasks set to our first-year undergraduate physics classes using the PeerWise type of assessment. Preliminary results suggest female students consistently Monday afternoon online system. We find that the majority of our student contributions fall outperform males on coursework elements while the pattern is less clear into the higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy, i.e. application, analysis, and when considering examination results. some featuring very high-level cognitive tasks such as synthesis. We suggest techniques for promoting such high-level engagement. Session BH: Continuing Teacher BG04: 4:40-4:50 p.m. A Two-Institution Replication Study Preparation: Inservice Professional of Peer Learning and Collaboration Development Contributed – Morag Casey, University of Glasgow, University Avenue Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin IV Glasgow, G12 8QQ United Kingdom; [email protected] Sponsor: Committee on Teacher Preparation Simon Bates University of British Columbia Date: Monday, July 30 Ross Galloway University of Edinburgh Time: 3:30–5:30 p.m. We present two major results from a comparative study1 of the implemen- Presider: Steven Maier tation of PeerWise2 as an online tool for student-led (and instructor-free) learning in undergraduate physics. In 2010-11, we piloted PeerWise with 3 the level-1 physics class at the University of Edinburgh and found a high Whether or not one’s initial physics teacher preparation was com- quality of submissions as well as a positive correlation between student ac- pleted through an accredited undergraduate program, a graduate tivity and end-of-course examination score; we undertook a similar study during the 2011-12 academic session, finding similar results. In 2011-12 we degree or by non-traditional means, in-service physics teachers also successfully implemented PeerWise at level-2 physics in the University often need continuing professional development. The goal of this of Glasgow and found similar levels of engagement, quality of submissions, session is to let those involved in physics professional development and positive correlations between student activity and academic gain. We programs tell their “stories” and share the successes, benefits, and suggest, therefore, a model for high-impact student-learning and concep- perhaps challenges of their efforts. tual gain with minimal instructor intervention required. 1. https://www.wiki.ed.ac.uk/display/SGC4L/Home 2. http://peerwise.cs.auckland.ac.nz/ BH01: 3:30-4 p.m. AAPT/PTRA – Part of the Solution 3. http://proceedings.aip.org/resource/2/apcpcs/1413/1/123_1 Invited – Jim Nelson, 6871 SW 89th Way, Gainesville, FL 32608; nelsonjh@ ix.netcom.com BG05: 4:50-5 p.m. Collaborative Learning, Enquire-based With the help of National Science Foundation (NSF) and the American Laboratory, PER, and Paulo Freire’s pedagogy Physical Society (APS), the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) has developed the Physics Teaching Resource Agent (PTRA) Contributed – Arnaldo M. Vaz, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Colé- model for successful physical science and physics teacher inservice profes- gio Técnico Av., Antonio Carlos, 6627 Belo Horizonte, MG 31.270-901, Brazil; sional development. This model includes development of peer mentors, [email protected] systemic infrastructure, assessment instruments, and a curriculum based Members of the PER group at Colegio Tecnico UFMG (Belo Horizonte, on experienced mentors and physics education research. The AAPT/PTRA Brazil) are practicing high school physics teachers who are yet to have curriculum is supported by a series of AAPT/PTRA Teacher Resource professor status. In this university laboratory for pedagogical innovation, Guides. These guides serve not only as a personal resource for the teacher’s we design, adapt, and use research-oriented teaching strategies, materials, professional development, but also are appropriate for teachers’ continued and assessment. We also do scholarly research, supervise grad students, use in their classrooms. The talk will discuss the unique features of the conduct governmental education consultancy, and run the science-teacher AAPT/PTRA Program, and outline how your university can form a part- development center. Our research is based on multiple theoretical-meth- nership with AAPT to support teachers in your local area. odological perspectives: Donald Schön, Lee Shulman, Raewyn Connell, Pichon Rivière, Wilfred Bion, Ross Buck, Lev Vygotsky, Mikhail Bahktin. BH03: 4-4:30 p.m. Supporting the STEM Initiative in The approaches include individual students’ decision making or engagement (behavioral-affective-cognitive), as well as collaborative learning. oklahoma Through Statewide Effective Physics and That results in knowledge about engagement dependence from group, Physical Science PD socio-cultural and expectation factors. Present research interests result Invited – Saeed Sarani,* Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, from above-described milieu. School-work gives us insights about Paulo Oklahoma City, OK 73104; [email protected] Freire and John Dewey. Which inspires new deliberations, which has led us to see new problems worth investigating. In sum, we enact Joseph Schwab’s When viewed from the perspective of an entire state’s needs, the challenges type of curriculum research. of designing effective professional development programs to meet the state and federal requirements are daunting. In Oklahoma, the concerns about BG08: 5-5:10 p.m. Performance Gender Gap in Under- delivering effective professional development programs to rural and urban populations which contain a variety of underserved populations are further graduate Physics from a UK Context complicated by the differences in the way sciences are structured as differ- Contributed – Robyn C. Donnelly, School of Physics and Astronomy, Univer- ent disciplines. In my presentation, I will describe a science model program sity of Edinburgh, James Clerk Maxwell Building, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ United specifically designed for physics and physical science teachers in rural July 28–August 1, 2012 61 Oklahoma. The program has three common elements that make it highly Session BI: What Works in the Pre- successful: 1) Program fully engages teachers through inquiry-based and effective teaching and learning in classroom approaches, 2) Program seeks College Classroom to change learning by impacting teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge, and 3) Program strives to establish a productive network among Location: Irvine Auditorium - Amado Recital Hall participants. Additionally, the program’s long-term goal is to establish a Sponsor: Committee on Physics in Pre-High School Education statewide infrastructure to meet the needs for critical shortages of physics Date: Monday, July 30 and physical science teachers through effective and sustainable professional Time: 3:30–5:30 p.m. development in Oklahoma. Presider: Dale Freeland *Sponsor: Steven J. Maier

BH04: 4:30-4:40 p.m. Western New York Physics Teachers What is working in the pre-college classroom? This session will alliance (WNYPTA) Professional Development Model highlight successes that could include new programs, technology usage, mentoring relationships, or use of traditional physics with Contributed – Kathleen A. Falconer, SUNY Buffalo State College, Buffalo, NY 14222; [email protected] emphasis on student centered applications. Joseph L. Zawicki, David Henry, Dan MacIsaac David Abbott, SUNY Buffalo BI01: 3:30-4 p.m. An Inquiry into What Works in the State College Pre-College Classroom* The Western New York Physics Teachers Alliance (WNYPTA) is a model of professional development originally developed upon the model used for Invited – Richard Steinberg, City College of New York, New York, NY 10031; the New York State Mentor Networks. The initial statewide networks were [email protected] grant-funded and supported a network of physics teachers throughout To compliment experiences as a college faculty member conducting

Monday afternoon New York State. The WNYPTA has developed into a learning community research into student and teacher learning at the college level, I spent a including university faculty from both education and physics, local high

year as a full time science teacher in an inner city public high school. I was school teachers, pre-service physics teachers and in-service graduate empowered with knowledge of Physics Education Research, well-designed students. The program meets once a month on Saturday morning during curricula shown to be effective, formal teacher education training, count- the school year, with the meeting agendas collaboratively developed by less hours in high school classrooms, and cultural roots in New York City. the participants. Presenters include university faculty, in-service teachers Within one day I knew I was overmatched. In this presentation, I will share and graduate students, and pre-service teacher candidates. The program is some of the challenges I encountered and some of what I learned about largely self-sustaining with minimal support from the university physics what works in this environment. department and other sources. * This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation

BH05: 4:40-4:50 p.m. Physical Science Pontotoc County: BI02: 4-4:30 p.m. Engaging Activities for Students in Four Years After Pre-College Classroom

Contributed – Karen A. Williams, East Central University, Ada, OK 74820; Invited – Duane B. Merrell, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602; [email protected] [email protected] This paper will examine how the public school teachers that took the Phys- When I started teaching high school in a small rural school, the physics ical Science Pontotoc County PHYS/EDUC 5982 Seminar in the summer enrollment was 16 students, with only two of those 16 being female. Dur- of 2008 are doing now four years later. Have the teachers implemented any ing the next several years the enrollment grew to seven periods of physics of the labs in their classrooms? If the teachers have implemented some of and half of the enrollment was female. One year at graduation as I counted the labs, how many of them? If yes, do they have their students do the labs the students that I had taught physics I realized that 70% of the graduating on regular basis every year? Were the labs a success in the classroom? We class had taken physics during their high school time. I will outline the will attempt to track down all the teachers involved in the two-week-long things we did to make physics in a rural high school grow and the cur- summer workshop to check on how they have applied the physics concepts riculum programs that were used to support physics students. Things like in their classrooms since our seminar. The findings of this study should projects, activities, labs—the whole effort that was made will be shared. help future workshops better plan for greater implementation of physics topics in the upper elementary and middle school classrooms. BI03: 4:30-5 p.m. What Works in the Pre-College BH06: 4:50-5 p.m. Boston University’s PhysTEC Classroom teacher-in-Residence – A Year in Review Invited – Christina Magee, 917 C St., Rockford, IL 61107; christina.magee@ gmail.com Contributed – Juliet B. Jenkins, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215; [email protected] Discover ways to bring physics concepts come alive for middle school students through underwater remotely operated vehicles, wind turbines, In 2011, Boston University (BU) was awarded a grant from the Physics Lego robots and model rockets. Learn more about a newly created program Teacher Education Coalition (PhysTEC) that primarily funds a high school called Pathways for Technical Careers Academy that enriches the learning Teacher-in-Residence. I am the first Teacher-in-Residence, with a primary of middle school students interested in pursuing careers in engineering and focus of getting our large urban campus to learn about our invigorated manufacturing. These activities have all been successfully completed in an efforts in secondary school physics teacher preparation. Key to this effort is urban middle school setting. 1) Active recruiting; 2) Providing early teaching experiences; 3) Pedagogi- cal content knowledge; and 4) Learning Assistants. I will highlight my contributions in these areas in my year at Boston University -- identifying, BI04: 5-5:10 p.m. Using PhET Simulations in the Middle encouraging and mentoring prospective high school physics teachers as school Classroom well as working closely with physics department faculty and teaching fellows to incorporate research-based teaching methods. I will comment on Contributed – Ariel J. Paul, PhET, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80301; the growth of BU’s existing collaborations between the physics department, [email protected] the School of Education, as well as the collaborations between the Phys- Noah Podolefsky, Emily Moore, Katherine Perkins PhET TEC program and the area in-service high school physics teachers. Initially, the PhET project developed simulations (sims) for high school and college level students, but more recently, we have begun designing

62 and revising sims targeted at middle school students. Our sims provide using frame-by-frame tracking in LoggerPro software, and from these data students with an intuitive and game-like environment which allows for and a model designed to extract the propulsion force from the terminal ve- productive scientist-like exploration, rich visualizations, and rapid inquiry locity, the students infer details about molecular motors and diffusive and cycles. Along with our new design effort, PhET researchers have collabo- driven transport in cells. These labs have been created as part of a course in rated with middle school teachers to investigate the effective implementa- introductory physics with a biological emphasis, and respond to a growing tion of sims in a classroom environment. This collaboration currently in- need to train premedical students to think across disciplinary boundaries, cludes the joint development of 14 activities and video-taped observations and to learn to apply the laws of physics to understand and model biologi- of their classroom implementation. Informed by this observation data, we cal phenomena. have developed a set of strategies for designing and facilitating student- centered sim activities for the classroom. These strategies span activity BJ02: 3:40-3:50 p.m. Designing for Change: Reform in a scope, structures, pacing, and effective prompts. We will present the broad goals of these activities, our suggested strategies, specific examples, and Lower-Division E&M Lab evidence of their effectiveness. Contributed – May Lee, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80504; [email protected] Monday afternoon BI05: 5:10-5:20 p.m. Broadening the Meaning of Progress Steven Pollock, University of Colorado at Boulder in Elementary Science At the University of Colorado at Boulder, we transformed a single intro- Contributed – Jennifer A. Radoff,* Tufts University, Department of Education, ductory algebra-based lab on electric potentials from a lab of verification to Medford, MA 02155; [email protected] a lab of discovery and inquiry. In this transformation, we drew our initial ideas from an inquiry-based activity grounded in research-based practices. David Hammer,Tufts University We also took into consideration constraints in the implementation of We argue that progress in learning physics should be understood to this reform, which included: continuity with course and departmental encompass more than conceptual gains. In particular, it involves the ways expectations, adequacy in the breadth and depth of content covered, cost in which students come to understand the disciplinary practices that have and maintenance of equipment, and concerns for teaching assistants and emerged within the classroom community. Part of becoming a better other instructors to enact the reform without too much additional guid- science learner involves understanding what it means to be engaged in sci- ance. We discuss our processes in addressing these constraints and present ence within the classroom. This kind of progress cannot be marked by how some preliminary results and feedback from our first implementation of well students’ conceptions come to align with the canon. Rather, we must the transformed lab with respect to its impact in helping students create a evaluate this progress by considering the ways students come to partici- framework to better understand how different concepts in electricity are pate within the complex and dynamic activity of a classroom. We present related to each other. analyses of a third grade class’s discussions about motion as evidence of this aspect of progress. BJ03: 3:50-4 p.m. An Introductory Circuits Lab in *Sponsor: David Hammer Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis BI06: 5:20-5:30 p.m. Modeling a Magnetic Biosensor* Contributed – Elliot E. Mylott, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97207- 0751; [email protected] Contributed – Elena K. Cox, Chamblee High School, Chamblee, GA 30341; Sabrina Hoffman, Ralf Widenhorn, Portland State University [email protected] We will present a laboratory exercise that highlights the applicability of The magnetism unit was presented in a secondary science classroom using physics concepts in medicine, specifically in the use of RC circuits in a model of a microelectronic magnetic bacterial sensor. The miniaturized bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). This is a popular method to analyze bacterial sensor, based upon magnetic properties of nanobeads, was manu- body composition by measuring body impedance. Students will be intro- factured on a silicon wafer in the Clean Room at the Microelectronics Re- duced to concepts in RC circuits such as phasor diagrams and impedance, search Center at Georgia Institute of Technology. The magnetic nanobeads as well as electrical characteristics of cells, which can be modeled with re- are coated with ligands capable of interacting with specific bacterial cells. sistors and capacitors. Equipment used for this lab can generally be found When placed in a magnetic field, the nanobeads spin and rotate around in most teaching labs. This lab and other activities we have developed show the Fe-Ni pins on the wafer trapping the bacteria from a solution. Student students the connections between the life sciences and physics. hands-on experiments were designed to model the magnetic biosensor. *Noyce program in physics, chemistry, and mathematics. A collaboration of Ken- nesaw State University and Georgia Institute of Technology. BJ04: 4-4:10 p.m. Determination of Electrical Resistivity of Water: An Introductory Lab Experiment Session BJ: Introductory Labs/ Contributed – A. James Mallmann, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Milwau- kee, WI 53202-3109; [email protected] Apparatus An experiment to determine the electrical resistivity of water will be de- Location: Houston Hall - Golkin scribed. The resistivity can be determined by graphical analysis of data that Date: Monday, July 30 can be obtained using simple apparatus available in a typical undergradu- Time: 3:30–5:30 p.m. ate laboratory. Presider: David Sturm BJ05: 4:10-4:20 p.m. Flexible Physics: A Multimedia Bridge from Lecture to Lab*

BJ01: 3:30-3:40 p.m. Cell Dynamics for Freshmen Contributed – Duncan Carlsmith, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53711; [email protected] Contributed – Mark E. Reeves, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052; [email protected] The Flexible Physics Project at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Robert Donaldson, Rahul Simha, George Washington University has created a library of short multimedia educational objects to prepare university undergraduates for introductory physics laboratory experiences. In our introductory physics class, we have replaced much of the classic Integrating still photographs, video, and audio using Flash, each object content on two-particle, loss-free interactions with curriculum and labs reviews important principles, describes the goals of the lab, and provides that address viscosity and loss. These culminate in problems and hands-on a brief tour of the experiment. Best practices related to the production of material where the students study the motion of paramecia and bacteria these materials will be described. and analyze the dynamics of propulsion in a viscous medium. Much of the *See website flexible.physics.wisc.edu. work is with student-made videos in which dynamics data are extracted

July 28–August 1, 2012 63 BJ06: 4:20-4:30 p.m. Portable Labs and Online TAs in 80004; [email protected] introductory Physics Daniel Brannan, Rhonda Epper, Colorado Community College System Patricia Shea, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education Contributed – William R. Sams,* North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27604; [email protected] Introductory physics courses taught online are regularly offered by many institutions. While content delivery is now relatively straightforward, the Michael Paesler, Clifford E. Chafin, North Carolina State University laboratory component of these courses provides many challenges. Two We are developing teaching laboratories for introductory mechanics common ways to deliver the laboratory component are to have students courses involving portable equipment kits used extramurally in lieu of purchase lab kits that enable them to perform experiments at home, or traditional laboratory rooms. These kitlabs are scheduled during regular to have students take the laboratory component in residence. The North lab times and are monitored by TAs through electronic conferencing American Network of Science Labs Online (NANSLO) project has devel- software. In this manner, student groups have the same tasks, goals, and oped a relatively new alternative to these methods. We have developed supervision as a standard lab, but without the need to be in the laboratory several introductory physics laboratory experiments that students control room. Students use their own technology (laptops or smartphones) for remotely via a web-based interface. We report on the results of the first data collection rather than unfamiliar probes and data loggers. Initiated to implementation of these laboratories used by students enrolled in intro- address the strain on existing lab facilities of rapidly growing enrollment ductory physics taken through Colorado Community Colleges Online. in introductory courses, the project has a number of applications. These could include distance and virtual courses, high schools, and institutions BJ10: 5-5:10 p.m. Incorporation of Hands-on Learning into that may not have access to traditional laboratory rooms. I will present the motivation, initial development, and implementation of the project, as well online Introductory Instruction as recent revisions and prospects for the future. Contributed – Katie Crimmins, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, *Sponsor: Robert Beichner Urbana, IL 61801; [email protected] Mats Selen University, Timothy Stelzer, University of Illinois at Urbana-

Monday afternoon BJ07: 4:30-4:40 p.m. Reformation of Physics Lab Manual Champaign

for Life-Science Students at USM Recent work in our group has yielded a small, inexpensive device—the IO- Contributed – Bharath K. Kandula, The University of Southern Mississippi, Lab system —which can measure various physical quantities including dis- Hattiesburg, MS 39406 [email protected] placement, acceleration, magnetic field, and voltage and display real-time results on a computer screen. The portability of the IOLab system and the Hiro Shimoyama, The University of Southern Mississippi prevalence of personal computers make it possible for students to perform As one of the project members, I contributed to it and observed the hands-on activities outside of the formal laboratory classroom setting. We change in students’ understanding and attitudes after using the new have investigated the use of this system as an aid to initial learning in the type of physics lab manual. Our result indicates that students and even context of online instruction. In our study, undergraduate physics students teachers learn through the new lab manual. There are several factors viewed a multimedia presentation about Faraday’s law and subsequently that affect effective understanding in physics lab, such as the lab manual, explored the topic further using computer-guided independent hands-on the equipment, teacher’s scientific pedagogy, students’ inquisitive mind, activities involving simultaneous measurements of magnetic field and volt- students’ background, etc. Especially for life-science majors, teaching age. Students responded positively to this supplementary instruction, both physics requires a better guide or manual and extra supports which include in attitude and in improved initial understanding. personal attention and interactive questioning with instructors. From our observations of last year, we have concluded that the new lab manual BJ11: 5:10-5:20 p.m. Experimental Demonstration Using a has improved students’ understanding in the concepts of Newton’s laws, torques, conservation of momentum, moment of inertia, etc. This scheme Blowgun for Introducing Dynamics also gives us the future work toward demonstrations using diagrams and Contributed – Koji Tsukamoto, Kashiwa Minami High School, Kashiwa City, providing software. Chiba 277-0033 JAPAN; [email protected] Kiyonobu Itakura BJ08: 4:40-4:50 p.m. Reforming the Introductory Physics Laboratory to Impact Scientific Reasoning Abilities* In many Asian countries, the “blowgun” has been commonly used for hunting or has been played with by children since ancient times. We have Contributed – Carol Fabby,** University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221- devised an efficient way to introduce dynamics with a blowgun demonstra- 0011; [email protected] tion experiment.1 This demonstration is effective for introducing a relationship between force and its effect because the procedure is simple and the Kathleen Koenig, University of Cincinnati results can be seen clearly without measurement. At this presentation, we Lei Bao, The Ohio State University will conduct the demonstration in front of the audience, and also show Research indicates that students enter college with wide variations in the results of the measurement. The results and analyses of the measure- scientific reasoning abilities, and it also suggests that students with formal ment will be shown at our poster presentation, “Analyses of The Blowgun reasoning patterns are more proficient learners. Unfortunately, these abili- Demonstration Experiment.” ties are not impacted in the typical college course. In an effort to better 1. K. Tsukamoto, M. Kano, and K. Itakura, “Mechanics Demonstrated with the Use of target the development of scientific reasoning abilities of students in our Darts,” International Newsletter on Physics Education (International Commission on introductory physics lab courses, we have revised the structure of the Physics Education) No.44, pp. 7-10 (2002) lab activities while maintaining the same topics and equipment we have been using for years in a more traditional lab setting. The changes enable BJ12: 5:20-5:30 p.m. Rolling Demonstrations students to become more involved in the actual design of the experiments and place more emphasis on student use of evidence-based reasoning. Contributed – Jeffrey M. Wetherhold, 33 N. 17th St., Allentown, PA 18104; The challenges in implementing these curricular adjustments with large [email protected] enrollments of 700 or more students will be addressed in addition to the Teaching about rolling motion can be a daunting task, especially when impact the changes have had on student development of scientific reason- it comes to demonstrating the direction of the frictional force. To me, ing abilities. the friction force has always been a somewhat unwelcome and mysteri- *This work is partially supported by the National Institutes of Health ous guest in my classroom. Unwelcome, in that I often minimized it and 1RC1RR028402-01 mysterious, in that I always had trouble understanding and demonstrating **Sponsor: Kathleen Koenig its direction in a concrete way. Recently I designed several demonstrations that changed all that for me and my physics students. It is still somewhat BJ09: 4:50-5 p.m. Remote-Controlled Online Physics Labs unwelcome in my classroom, but its aura of mystery has diminished.

Contributed – Todd G. Ruskell, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 64 Session CA: Can Computational CA04: 8:10-8:20 p.m. Why Use Computational Modeling in the Introductory Physics Course? Modeling be Accessible to Introduc- Contributed – Brandon R. Lunk, NCSU Department of Physics, Raleigh, NC tory Students? 27695; [email protected] Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom I Computational modeling is a central enterprise in both theoretical and Sponsor: Committee on Educational Technologies experimental physics but it can also be an excellent tool to help students Date: Monday, July 30 in the introductory courses develop a deeper conceptual understanding of Time: 7–8:30 p.m. fundamental physics principles. Many instructional benefits are associ- Presider: John Burk ated with computational modeling, including visualizing 3D phenomena, modeling complex, real-world systems, and reasoning algorithmically. In Modern programming tools allow even the youngest physics stu- this talk, I will discuss many of the benefits associated with introducing computational modeling to introductory physics students. dents (grades 6-12) to create and modify computational models to explore real-world scenarios. In this invited/contributed session, CA05: 8:20-8:30 p.m. Reflections on Computational Monday night we will discuss the use of computational modeling environments at these levels including challenges and limitations, the develop- Modeling in the Undergraduate Physics Curriculum ment of a support community for teachers interested in using these Contributed – Michael F. Vineyard, Union College, Schenectady, NY 12308; computational tools, and the future work for this community. [email protected]

CA01: 7-7:30 p.m. Computational Thinking Resources and For many years I have been introducing computational components into many of my undergraduate physics courses. This includes the use of implementation Strategies for Classrooms LabVIEW for virtual instrumentation in introductory and upper-level Invited – Phil Wagner, Google, 1600 Amphitheater Parkway, Mountain View, laboratories, Spice for circuit simulation in electronics, Mathematica in CA 94043; [email protected] mechanics and quantum mechanics, and VPython in introductory courses. It has been my experience that while some students readily embrace these Computational Thinking is an excellent way for teachers and students to computational tools, many do not and some even fear and loath them. In discover how they can apply principles of Computer Science to their own this talk I will describe how I use these computational tools in my courses domains. Using free resources and tools, classrooms can start developing and discuss strategies to try to overcome the fear and loathing. models to test physics concepts and deepen their understanding. Students break down problems, look for patterns, abstract ideas, and develop algo- rithms much like they do in the scientific method but with modern tools students ability to test and experiment is greatly enhanced. Session CB: Labs at Many Levels Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom II CA02: 7:30-8 p.m. Computational Modeling with High Sponsor: Committee on Physics in Pre-High School Education school Seniors Co-Sponsor: Committee on Teacher Preparation Date: Monday, July 30 Invited – Mark S. Hammond, St. Andrew’s School, Middletown, DE 19709; Time: 7–8:30 p.m. [email protected] Presider: Duane Merrell At St. Andrew’s School, students take a first-year physics course based on Modeling Instruction. Interested students continue taking physics in a second year, calculus-based course. We teach computational physics as a part A discussion of lab exercises that can be readily adapted for use of this second-year course using the VPython programming language in at various curricular levels, including middle school. A few quick conjunction with the Matter and Interactions curriculum of Chabay and examples of things that can be used anywhere from middle school Sherwood. Students begin learning VPython on their own before school to Advanced lab include the pendulum (in various forms), the starts using several tutorials and Internet resources. The addition of a computational component to the second year physics course serves several ballistic pendulum, granular materials, lenses and image forma- purposes. First, it allows the students to explore more realistic problems tion, NanoTech, and examples of exponential growth and decay, in greater detail, thus enlivening the curriculum. Second, it introduces such as population simulations and radiation/counting. them to an alternate approach to problem-solving. We have found that thinking computationally improves student understanding of calculus and CB01: 7-7:30 p.m. Spiraling the Curriculum: Labs to Do at its application to the physical world in a way that traditional problem sets fail to do. Many Levels Invited – Paul J. Dolan, Jr., Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, IL CA03: 8-8:10 p.m. Prediction Tasks in Computational 60625; [email protected] activities for Introductory Calculus-based Physics The physics curriculum spirals across the various levels, in “theory” courses, with each student level addressing an increasingly sophisticated Contributed – Shawn A. Weatherford, Saint Leo University, Saint Leo, FL treatment of the physical situations. Physics being a lab science, this spiral 33574; [email protected] curriculum can be used also in the lab; students then improve their under- Ruth Chabay, North Carolina State University standing of the physical phenomena as they improve their mathematical Computational modeling in the Matter & Interactions curriculum for cal- sophistication and understanding of theory. With only minor modification culus-based introductory physics promotes the tenets of the curriculum: of the equipment or the experimental approach, exercises that are currently mainly, the deterministic view of classical mechanics using a small set of used at the elementary or middle school, high school, introductory, or fundamental physics principles. New activities introduced with the third ?advanced levels can be used at other levels. Lab exercises that are success- edition of the text ask students to read for comprehension an example pro- fully used at various levels will be presented and discussed. Some of the gram that strategically omits key physics principles and asks students to labs are: the pendulum (in various forms, simple-physical-coupled); sound make predictions of the visual output based on their understanding of the and wave phenomena; the ballistic pendulum; the properties of granular program code. We’ll present how students approached these new activities materials; optics; lenses and image formation; NanoTech; and exponential and the lessons learned from their implementation out in the wild. growth and decay, such as populations and radiation/counting.

July 28–August 1, 2012 65 CB02: 7:30-8 p.m. Elementary Electronics: From Simple to ogy, which many people see as antithetical to a “healthy” environment and sophisticated Circuits as contributing to heedless exploitation of the natural world. There may be substance to this view, but physics in its emphasis on mechanism and insis- Invited – Steve Lindaas, Minnesota State University, Moorhead, MN 56563; tence on data-driven decisions can provide a basis for rational environ- [email protected] mentalism. Physics teachers naturally focus on reducing the “information How do you light a bulb without wire? How many ways can you pick up a deficit,” lack of understanding of phenomena, but this, while necessary, paperclip with a nail? This talk will present some open and guided-inquiry is not sufficient. Knowledge of the nature of science and its understand- activities on electronics. These activities have been used successfully with ing of knowing something, the tentativeness of that knowledge, the basics students from second graders to electrical engineering majors. Each of of modeling, and the actions taken based on the best experimental and these activities provides numerous extensions and both qualitative as well theoretical understanding are proper issues underpinning informed action as quantitative experimental opportunities. As students increase their in complex systems. physics training, these activities can be modified to reinforce more sophisticated physical models. This session is appropriate for all levels -- from CC03: 8-8:30 p.m. Incorporating the Energy Crisis into the elementary to college educators -- and will provide a hands-on experience undergraduate Curriculum with parts of these activities. Come to this session to get energized and share your electronics experiences. Invited – Joshua A. Henry, Bates College, Lewiston, ME 04103; jhenry@ bates.edu CB03: 8-8:30 p.m. Introductory Laboratory-Exploration On a percentage basis, the United States generates less renewable energy activities today than it did in 1950. This is an astonishing and somewhat depressing fact. How is it possible, that with all of our advances in technology over Invited – Jim Hicks, 4701 Edgewood Rd., Crystal Lake, IL 60012; ujhicks@ the past half century, we still generate most of our energy by combustion? juno.com Largely it is attributable to the high cost of renewable energy. The cost Monday night A number of secondary school laboratory-explorations will be presented in turn is due to two factors that I would argue are heavily influenced by that encourages the discovery of basic principles of physics and math- science education—the improper monetary valuation of natural resources

ematical formalization before class discussions. In addition, some of these and the environment and the lack of game-changing innovation in the laboratory assignments or explorations can be extended for advanced top- area of renewable energy and conservation. This talk will outline efforts to ics at the university level. The physics topics to be considered: Gauss’ law, bring energy issues to the forefront of our scientific curriculum at all levels equipotential lines and surfaces for gravitational and electrostatic fields, without overburdening faculty or excluding fundamentals. Ampere’s law, numerous relativity concepts, SHM, and more. Session CD: iPad & iPhone Apps and Session CC: Teaching Environmental Mobile Devices in the Classroom Physics in the Undergraduate Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom IV Curriculum Sponsor: Committee on Physics in High Schools Co-Sponsor: Committee on Science Education for the Public Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom III Date: Monday, July 30 Sponsor: Committee on Physics in Undergraduate Education Time: 7–8 p.m. Date: Monday, July 30 Presider: Martha Lietz Time: 7–8:30 p.m. Presider: Juan Burciaga CD01: 7-7:10 p.m. An iPad App Textbook for Introductory CC01: 7-7:30 p.m. Integration of the Environment in the Physics Physics Curriculum Contributed – Andrew Duffy, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215; [email protected] Invited – Miron Kaufman, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH 44115; [email protected] In this talk, I will demonstrate an iPad app textbook for introductory physics (actually, two apps, one for the first semester, covering mechanics, I report on my decade-long experience with integrating in the undergradu- and one for the second semester, covering electricity, magnetism, optics, ate curriculum a course on the physics of the environment. This course and modern physics). This is a work in progress, but the project is more provides a middle ground, for science and engineering students on one than half done. Accompanying each chapter is a set of simulations and hand and urban studies, law and education students on the other hand, animations designed to bring the physics to life, and to take advantage of to learn cooperatively about global warming, urban heat island, heat the interactivity of the iPad. I will also demonstrate new interactive features pollution, radiation and health, and conventional versus nuclear energy. that, by the time of the meeting, will have been recently added to the app. Computer modeling is used to enhance the students’ understanding of the Interested attendees will also be able to get a code so they can download phenomena. The students are exposed to chaos theory by analyzing the pe- the app for free. riod doubling route to chaos prevalent in population models. The diffusion of pollutants in the atmosphere and radioactive decay are taught through simulations. The course incorporates three modules: Thermodynamics, CD02: 7-7:20 p.m. iPAL (In-Class Polling for All Learners): Electricity and Magnetism, and Nuclear Physics. For example during the Beyond Clickers Thermodynamics module we analyze heat pollution and the urban heat island effect. Global climate change is studied during the Electricity and Contributed – Anne J. Cox, Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, FL 33711; Magnetism module. [email protected] Bill Junkin, Eckerd College CC02: 7:30-8 p.m. Science and Protecting the Students carry with them a variety of web-enabled devices (laptops, smart Environment – at Odds? phones, iPads, etc). Instead of asking them to check these at the classroom door, iPAL encourages students to use them in place of clickers for Invited – Gordon Aubrecht, Ohio State University at Marion, Marion, OH polling during class. iPAL is a free polling module in Moodle or available 43302; [email protected] through a stand-alone module for non-Moodle schools and requires that Physics is often called the queen of the sciences; science spawned technol- the instructor only have a computer. While instructors can write their own

66 polling questions, iPAL also includes a database of ready to use questions (Eric Mazur’s ConcepTest questions) for Intro Physics. Bring your smart Session CE: Panel: Writing for phone or laptop and see for yourself if you would like to use this technology to increase interaction in your classroom. Academic Journals Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom V CD04: 7:20-7:30 p.m. Make Learning Mobile in High Sponsor: Committee on Graduate Education in Physics school Physics Co-Sponsor: Committee on Space Science and Astronomy Date: Monday, July 30 Contributed – Eric Walters, Marymount School of New York, New York, NY Time: 7–8:30 p.m. 10028; [email protected] Presider: Renee Michelle The iPad (as well as the iPhone and iPod Touch) offers physics educators the opportunity to rethink and reimagine our curriculum from a mobile perspective. This workshop will review the development and implemen- This panel session will provide an overview of four prominent

tation of the Marymount School Mobile Learning in Physics Initiative, journals that publish research and results in physics education. which has successfully integrated the iPad and iPod Touch into the Physics Representatives from the American Journal of Physics, the curriculum. Participants will review a variety of pedagogically sound learn- Journal of Learning Sciences, the Journal of Research in Science Monday night ing opportunities, including iPad-based “Apptivities” that connect Apps Teaching, the Physical Review Special Topics – Physics Educa- such as Graphicus and Vect Calc to existing content found on the Web and tion Research, and The Physics Teacher will discuss their dif- on iTunesU; student-produced “virtual lab reports” using Vernier Video Analysis, iMovie for iOS5 and Numbers for iOS5; use of the iPod Touch in ferent audiences and missions. The panel discussion will provide AP Physics as a classroom response system; and the publication of iBooks, opportunities to discuss manuscript review processes, the criteria using the iBooks Author App by students and teachers to support and used to evaluate manuscripts, and the various topics addressed by extend the learning process. Strategies for assessment will be included; each journal. samples of student and teacher products will also be reviewed. Panelists: CD05: 7:30-7:40 p.m. Online Video Analysis in HTML5* –David Jackson, American Journal of Physics –Karl Mamola, The Physics Teacher Contributed – Robert B. Teese, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, –Valerie Otero, Journal of Research in Science Teaching NY 14450; [email protected] –Sanjay Rebello, Physical Review Special Topics – PER Rohit Garg, Brian Soulliard, Gordon Toth, Brian Wyant, Rochester Institute of Technology The LivePhoto Physics project is creating a series of short online tutorials, called Interactive Video Vignettes, that combine narrative videos with Session CF: Video Analysis in the video analysis and other interactive segments. The vignettes will run on a wide variety of platforms including both mobile devices and desktop High School and Introductory College computers. After surveying and testing available and emerging technolo- Classroom gies for creating vignettes, we chose HTML5 and Javascript. We are using the techniques of software engineering to set up a framework for ongoing Location: Sheraton - William Penn Suite software development. The use of a touch-based rather than a mouse-based Sponsor: Committee on Educational Technologies interface on mobile devices created special problems for designing the Co-Sponsor: Committee on Physics in High Schools video analysis segments. The first vignette will be demonstrated and the Date: Monday, July 30 development process described. Time: 7–8:30 p.m. *Supported by NSF grants DUE-0717699 and DUE-1122828. Presider: Maxine Willis

CD06: 7:40-7:50 p.m. Using Screencasting and Voice- threading to Alter High School Student Roles CF01: 7-7:10 p.m. Using Direct Measurement Video to Contributed – Ben Van Dusen, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80303; teach Physics* [email protected] Susan Nicholson-Dykstra, Valerie Otero, University of Colorado Contributed – Peter H. Bohacek, Henry Sibley High School, Mendota Heights, MN 55118; [email protected] This physics education research study investigates how a high school physics class responds to the inclusion of a classroom set of iPads and Direct Measurement videos are short video clips of situations that illustrate associated applications, such as screencasting and voicethreading. The physics concepts. Grids, frame counters, and other overlays allow students participatory roles of students and the norms and practices of the collective to make measurements from the videos directly, without needing other class community were examined. Findings suggest that classroom norms video analysis software. When using direct measurement videos, students of practices were expanded through the use of iPad technology, to include must identify, and then measure quantities needed to complete their analy- increased roles of argumentation and collaboration. Findings also sug- sis. These videos can be used for open-ended problem solving, as a supple- gest that students were more likely to take leadership roles and teaching ment to lab work, or for quantitative problem solving as an alternative to responsibilities within the technologically enriched classroom, ultimately traditional word problems. When used as a supplement to labs, students allowing them to learn more physics. Videos, observations, interviews, and learn measurements techniques and uncertainty propagation. These videos survey responses were analyzed to provide insight into the nature of these can be embedded in online homework systems such as WebAssign or LON transformed classroom and student practices. Implications for the use of CAPA. A collection of these videos has been developed for an introductory technology to engage students in physics will be discussed. Conjectures mechanics course. will be made about how the iPad-assisted learning differs from that of *More information about Direct Measurement Videos can be found here: http://serc. desktop or laptop computers. carleton.edu/sp/library/direct_measurement_videos/index.html

July 28–August 1, 2012 67 CF02: 7:10-7:20 p.m. Using Video Analysis and Model disk. We use video analysis to compute the electric field due to a charged roller Coasters in Introductory Physics disk and employ curve-fitting techniques to fully analyze the solution. This idea is then used to calculate the electric field due to a thundercloud using Contributed – Dave R. Rishell, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603; multilayer charged disks and the principle of superposition. The authors [email protected] acknowledge support by NSF through the LivePhoto project. This paper will report on the lab we do in an introductory calculus-based physics course at Vassar using scale model working roller coasters and CF06: 7:50-8 p.m. Video Analysis on Rotation of a Wheel video analysis. Students record a video of a cart moving through the course, then import the video into Vernier Loggerpro software and analyze Contributed – Cheng Ting, Houston Community College, Houston, TX 77087; its motion by creating a motion diagram where the cart is modeled as a [email protected] particle. Before the lab, students have gone over the material in lecture Video analysis can show that the rotation of a wheel has an angular velocity and have had time to work on homework related to the topic, so students at the center of the wheel and the vector of the angular velocity is at 90 are only given very basic guidelines for deriving the pertinent equations. degrees to the plane of the wheel following the right hand rule. For the roll- Students predict several quantities, for example the g forces at the top ing motion of the wheel on the ground, video analysis will show that there and bottom of a “loop.” They then observe the results and explain their is an instantaneous center of rotation at the contact point of the wheel to findings. Of particular interest is the difference in “g”s between a so-called the ground. The angular velocity at the instantaneous center is same as that clothoid shaped loop and a circular loop. at the wheel center.

CF03: 7:20-7:30 p.m. Video Analysis of Motion: Jumping CF07: 8-8:10 p.m. Punkins, Baseballs and Soccerballs: off a Swing Rope roughness, Resistance and Curvature

Contributed – Arunava Roy, Young Harris College, Young Harris, GA 30582; Contributed – Timothy N. Knudson, Southern Virginia University, Buena Vista,

Monday night [email protected] VA 24416; [email protected] Tyler Benson, Baishali Ray, Young Harris College While there are a number of sources detailing the physics of baseball and Students were asked to make a video of a physical situation of their interest soccer, not enough has been written about the physics of pumpkin projec- with the aim of analyzing the motion using video analysis. The primary tiles. I will present evidence that the drag coefficient on a pumpkin has a objective was not to examine any particular physics concept. They rather typical value of 0.26. I will also argue that the initial speed of a pumpkin were encouraged to analyze everyday phenomena involving a rich variety can be greater than 600 mph. The video evidence was gathered during the of physics, thus providing a means of motivation and increasing their 2011 “Punkin Chunkin Competition.” This annual event has been very enthusiasm for the subject. The study presented here concerns one such popular from an entertainment point of view. A number of possible activi- video where a student jumps off a swing rope into a lake. Various ideas of ties show that the “punkin chunkin” field is ripe for measurements and basic physics can be demonstrated using the above video. In our analy- modeling by students with mid range physics abilities. sis, particular attention is paid to velocity and acceleration of the person and compared to that of the classic situation, an object in free fall. Other CF08: 8:10-8:20 p.m. Billiards and Croquet: The Physics pertinent physics concepts, such as rotational motion, is also explored to of Colliding Spheres complete the investigation. The students’ feedback on the effectiveness of this method is also presented. The authors acknowledge support by NSF Contributed – Richard Gelderman, Western Kentucky University, Bowling through the LivePhoto project. Green, KY 42101-1077; [email protected] Introductory physics students are expected to understand that when two CF04: 7:30-7:40 p.m. Following the Bouncing Ball identical sliding balls collide head-on in an elastic (energy conserving) collision the ball will stop dead, transferring all its energy to the struck ball. Contributed – Marco Ciocca, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY So let’s investigate how English and spin (i.e., torque) can be used to alter 40475; [email protected] the result. All the remarkable ways that a ball can be struck and react dur- Jing Wang, Eastern Kentucky University ing collisions with other balls provide excellent applications of the physics Video analysis is a research-proven effective tool in physics teaching. It of force, friction, and angular momentum during a collision. enhances students’ understanding through visualization. As a result they are able to develop a deeper conceptual understanding of the phenomena studied.1,2 In introductory physics the transition between rotational and Session CG: Mentoring Minority translational energy of a rolling object is a topic discussed often, but rarely Students tested in introductory labs due to the complexity of the measurements. In this work we present an experiment at the introductory level showing Location: CCH - Claudia Cohen Terrace the interplay between rotational and translation energy on the flight of a Sponsor: Committee on Minorities in Physics bouncing ball. Work supported in part by the NSF through the LivePhoto Date: Monday, July 30 project. Time: 7–8:30 p.m. 1. R. J. Beichner, “The impact of video motion analysis on kinematics graph interpre- Presider: Geraldine Cochran tation skills,” Am. J. Phys. 64(10), 1272-1277 (1996). 2. P. Laws and H. Pfister, “Using digital video analysis in introductory mechanics projects,” Phys. Teach. 36(5), 282-287 (1998). Mentoring is an important part of our job as educators. What role does mentoring play in the success of minority students? Is CF05: 7:40-7:50 p.m. Electric Field Due to a Thundercloud mentoring minority students any different than mentoring their using Video Analysis. non-minority counterparts?

Contributed – Baishali Ray, Young Harris College, Young Harris, GA 30582; [email protected] CG01: 7-7:30 p.m. Effective Mentoring: A Personal View Arunava Roy, Young Harris College Invited – James H. Stith, American Institute of Physics, College Park, MD Electric field measurements due to a thundercloud are one of the major 20740; [email protected] concepts in atmospheric physics research. This topic is not well discussed Most students, especially first-generation college students, know very in introductory calculus-based physics texts. To fully help students un- little about what physicists do and whether their unique skills and at- derstand this difficult concept we extend the video analysis due to a line tributes are a good match for a possible physics career. Advice designed to charge from Physics with Video Analysis by Vernier to include a charged

68 help students fill that void often focuses only on the academic skills and background needed. This talk will explore ways to provide students with a Session CH: Oral History – Methods broader view and to help them acquire the skills and perspectives needed to persist in their journey to a full physics related career. It will discuss and Examples issues that help mentors become more effective as well as ways to help students become good mentees. Location: Houston Hall - Class of 49 Sponsor: Committee on the Interests of Senior Physicists CG02: 7:30-8 p.m. Demystifying the Mentoring of Minority Date: Monday, July 30 Time: 7–8:30 p.m. students* Presider: John Hubisz Invited – Diola Bagayoko, Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge, LA 70813; [email protected] CH01: 7-7:30 p.m. Oral History Interviewing: Documenting The Timbuktu Academy (www.phys.subr.edu/timbuktu.htm), at Southern

University and A&M College in Baton Rouge (SUBR), LA, and the Louis How Science Has Been Taught Stokes Louisiana Alliance for Minority Participation (www.ls-lamp.org) Invited – Gregory A. Good, American Institute of Physics, College Park, MD Monday nighrt are comprehensive, systemic mentoring programs implementing a Ten- 20740; [email protected] Strand Systemic Mentoring model that practically ensures success. As per 2011 data from the American Physical Society (APS), under-represented A continuing program of conducting oral history interviews is necessary minorities accounted only for 9-10% of BS and 5-6% of PhD degrees in to document both the history of physics and the history of the teaching Physics. Results from the Timbuktu Academy and LS-LAMP strongly of physics. Although the Niels Bohr Library & Archives has over 1000 validate their model. The aim of this presentation is to discuss key factors oral history interviews, including some classics with early AAPT officers, that explain the success of the Academy and of LS-LAMP. They include the the story is not over. Now is the time to interview new people and to rigorous implementation of the Ten-Strand Systemic Mentoring model (to recruit and train new interviewers. It’s not rocket science, but neither is it be thoroughly explained), including extensive research participation on something a person can just wing. It’s a serious job, with standards and best and off campus. They also include standard-based curriculum, teaching, practices. This talk provides an overview of this process. and learning (SBC, SBT, and SBL). For the above model and results, the Timbuktu Academy received several national awards, including two U.S. CH02: 7:30-8 p.m. Evidence in Oral History Presidential Awards for Excellence. *Acknowledgments: Presentation funded by AAPT. Mentoring activities funded in Invited – Babak Ashrafi, Philadelphia Area Center for History of Science, 431 part by the Department of the Navy, Office of Naval Research (ONR), NASA, through Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19106; [email protected] the Louisiana Space Consortium (LaSPACE), and the National Science Foundation I will use several accounts of conducting oral history interviews to raise (NSF), through the Louis Stokes Louisiana Alliance for Minority Participation (LS- questions about the kind of data that is produced: For what kinds of LAMP) and LASiGMA. conclusions could such data be used as evidence? In what ways is such data reliable or unreliable? How does oral history data compare to archival data? CG03: 8-8:10 p.m. Changing the Face of Astronomy When should we count parts of oral histories as error or data? through Authentic Research Experiences CH03: 8-8:30 p.m. History Lost: Preserving Unpublished Contributed – Kimberly Coble, Chicago State University, Dept. of Chemistry scientific Knowledge and Physics, Chicago, IL 60615; [email protected] K’Maja Bell, Mother McAuley High School Invited – David J. Caruso, The Chemical Heritage Foundation, 315 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19106; [email protected] Jameela Jafri, Gabrielle Lyon, Project Exploration Science is as much about scientists as it is about the experiments they Project Exploration is a Chicago-based science outreach organization that perform. Often, however, the practice of science and the knowledge it works to ensure communities traditionally overlooked by science--partic- generates is relegated to publications in journals and in textbooks; the ularly minority youth and girls--have access to personalized experiences experience of science and the lives of scientists are often lost, missing from with science and scientists. We particularly target students who may not be the annals of history. Drawing on the Chemical Heritage Foundation’s academically successful. The results of a recent 10-year retrospective study collection of oral histories, I will discuss the relevance of conducting oral demonstrate that Project Exploration students are significantly more likely histories of scientists to the preservation of modern scientific thought and than their peers to graduate from high school (95%), go to college (50%), practice, and the ways in which the knowledge and insights generated from and major in science (60%); and they attribute their persistence in science such interviews integrate with other primary sources and provide a more and education to their Project Exploration experience. Furthermore, Proj- detailed and rich understanding of science. ect Exploration works with the scientists involved to help them understand what it means to do effective outreach and how to put the interests of the youth at the center of the work. We describe the details of the Project Session CI: Examining How Different Exploration model, as well as projects in astronomy that our students and scientists have carried out. Research-based Curricula Promote

CG04: 8:10-8:20 p.m. What I Learned About Mentoring Different Agendas in Research from My Physics Students in Chicago Location: Houston Hall - Golkin Sponsor: Committee on Research in Physics Education Contributed – Mel S. Sabella, Chicago State University, Chicago, IL 60628; Date: Monday, July 30 [email protected] Time: 7–8:30 p.m. For the past 10 years I have worked at an urban, comprehensive, minority- Presider: Andrew Boudreaux serving university on the south side of Chicago. During this time I have played the role of an instructor, an academic advisor, a research advisor, an assessment coordinator, and an interim chairperson. These diverse CI01: 7-7:30 p.m. Research-Driven Curricula and Curricula- roles have taught me a great deal about mentoring—and, I would like to driven Research: Physics by Inquiry* believe that at some point in my career, I will begin to figure out what I’m supposed to be doing. In this talk I will describe some successes, some Invited – Paula R. Heron, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98121; challenges, and what I have learned from my students about the role of [email protected] mentoring at my institution. For many years the Physics Education Group (PEG) at the University of Washington has conducted a program to prepare pre-service and in- service K-12 teachers to teach physics and physical science as a process of July 28–August 1, 2012 69 inquiry. The goals of the program include helping teachers develop deep Asim Gangopadhyaya, Matthew Kemnetz, Robert Polak, Thomas Ruubel, conceptual knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, and experience, as Loyola University Chicago learners, with guided inquiry. Research on student learning helped shape As a magnet moves in proximity to a conductor, the changing magnetic these goals, and they in turn shaped the research agenda that guided the field produces an electric field, and hence an eddy current. The eddy -cur development of Physics by Inquiry (Wiley, 1996). The nature of the courses rent then produces a magnetic field that opposes the motion. Magnetic in which Physics by Inquiry is used (at UW and elsewhere) provides braking plays an important role in industry and is used to slow down mov- motivation and opportunity that shape a research agenda that emphasizes ing parts of a system without losing energy to friction. The kinetic energy small-scale, qualitative investigations of teacher learning and its impact on of an object is converted directly into electrical energy, which could be practice. stored for later use. We have developed an analytical model of a cylindri- *Supported by the National Science Foundation. cal Neodymium magnet moving through a conducting pipe. Owing to its uniform magnetization, we show the magnet can be effectively modeled CI02: 7:30-8 p.m. How Responsive Inquiry Promotes a by two magnetically charged disks. We derive analytical expressions for transformative Experience Agenda the current distribution and the resistive force and compare them to experimental measurements. Since Neodymium magnets have become Invited – Brian W. Frank, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, ubiquitous, our analysis will provide a good benchmark for experimental TN 37132; [email protected] and computational models used in industry. Leslie J. Atkins, California State University Chico CJ02: 7:10-7:20 p.m. Hartnell College: A Study in We discuss how teaching responsive inquiry courses has led the presenters to a scholarly interest in the concept of transformative experience--a undergraduate Research at a TYC construct that aims to describe and assess the extent to which students use Contributed – Leo C. Osornio, Hartnell College, Salinas, CA 93905; leo. science concepts to see and experience the world in new and meaning- [email protected] ful ways. While responsive teaching has provided us with rich points of Monday night contact for noticing (and perhaps even fostering) students’ transforma- Sewan Fan, Scott Davis, Brooke Haag, Hartnell College tive experiences, our scholarly interest in this notion has influenced our In the summer of 2011, during an eight-week summer internship program observations of the phenomena and our perceptions of its value as a course at Hartnell Community College, we successfully constructed two comple- outcome. In this talk, we describe the curricular contexts in which our mentary cosmic ray experiments. The first employed NIM electronic mod- interests in transformative experiences continue to develop and our ongo- ules, the second was constructed as per specifications of a circuit board ing attempts as researchers to both immerse and distance ourselves from designed by the Berkeley Lab Cosmic Ray Telescope Project (http://cosmic. the phenomena. Along the way, we present data from surveys, classroom lbl.gov/). In this talk I’ll present data obtained from both setups including artifacts, and interviews to illustrate the nature of transformative experi- the dependence of the cosmic ray flux on the separation between scintilla- ences and the means by which we are investigating it. tor paddles and polar angle. In addition, ongoing improvements to the LBL lab board will be discussed. Finally I will include prospects for curriculum CI03: 8-8:30 p.m. Conceptual Change to Critical Race development using the cosmic ray experiments. theory: Spectrum of PET Research*

Invited – Valerie K. Otero, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309; valerie. Session CK: Assessing Student [email protected] Learning in the Introductory Lab 1 The Physics and Everyday Thinking (PET) Curriculum was initially Location: Irvine Auditorium - Amado Recital Hall developed using a derivative of the classical conceptual change perspective Sponsor: Committee on Laboratories on learning.2 Implementation research, however, has deviated greatly from Co-Sponsor: Committee on Research in Physics Education this perspective. While constrained by the affordances of a curriculum Date: Monday, July 30 and the population with which it is used, research possibilities are largely Time: 7:30–8:30 p.m. dependent on how the researcher sees the world. This is usually greatly influenced by the academic kinship of the researcher.3 This presentation Presider: Nancy Beverly explores how research topics involving the PET curriculum have changed over time and with diverse schooling contexts (for both the researcher and for PET student populations). I will take you from classical concep- When introductory lab assessment strategies align with lab pur- tual change theory to critical race theory and explore the conditions for pose, the clarity of the learning goals benefits students, instructors, theoretical change within a community of scholars. By investigating the re- and administrators. What is valued in the introductory lab? Every search trajectories of scholars, their students, and their students’ students, I institution and pedagogical approach will have a unique answer will conjecture some parameters that influence or inhibit change. to that question, but there will be common themes. 1. F. Goldberg, S. Robinson, V. Otero, Physics and Everyday Thinking, Armonk, NY: It’s About Time. (2006). 2. P. Hewson, R. and Thorley, “The conditions of conceptual change in the classroom,” CK01: 7:30-7:40 p.m. Assessing Student Learning of Error Int. J. of Sci. Ed. 11 (1990). Propagation in the Introductory Lab 3. L. Fleck, Genesis and Development of a Scientific Fact, The University of Chicago Contributed – Fang Liu, The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, Gal- Press, 1979. (1935). laway TWP, NJ 08240; [email protected] *Partially funded by NSF grant #ESI-0096856 Laboratory work is essential in the study of physics. At Stockton the program learning goals for introductory physics laboratory are stated as Session CJ: Undergraduate Research follows: students should demonstrate abilities to (1) design and conduct experiments (2) analyze and interpret experimental results (3) report ex- Location: Irvine Auditorium - Amado Recital Hall perimental information verbally and in written form. These goals align well Date: Monday, July 30 with the goals proposed by the American Association of Physics Teachers Time: 7–7:20 p.m. for the introductory laboratory. It is an important but challenging task for Presider: TBA students to understand the inherent limitations of measurement processes and deal with uncertainty and error propagation in calculations. In this CJ01: 7-7:10 p.m. Modeling the Motion of a Magnet in the presentation I will describe a simple and direct method to assess student learning of error propagation in the introductory lab. The change of the Presence of a Conductor teaching strategies based on the assessment results will also be presented. Contributed – Benjamin Irvine, Loyola University, Chicago, IL; 60660 [email protected] 70 CK02: 7:40-7:50 p.m. Investigating the Development of students’ Scientific Conceptions of Pulleys

Contributed – Amy Rouinfar, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506- 2601; [email protected] Adrian M. Madsen, N. Sanjay Rebello, Kansas State University Tram Do Ngoc, Hoang Ho Chi Minh City University of Pedagogy Sadhana Puntambekar, University of Wisconsin-Madison Several studies have investigated differences in students’ learning with physical and virtual manipulatives. However, the process by which these differences in learning occurs has not been studied as extensively. We investigate the development of scientific conceptions as students in a con-

ceptual physics laboratory class interacted with either physical or virtual manipulatives to investigate several pulley systems. The investigation

occurred over two consecutive laboratory classes, each lasting about two Monday night hours. Each class was divided equally into virtual and physical groups, with the former using a computer simulation and the latter using real pulleys, strings and weights. Both groups had identical scaffolding facilitating them to construct their understanding of pulley systems by making and testing predictions and refining their models. We report on changes in students’ conceptions of pulleys as they progressed through the activities. This work supported in part by Department of Education IES grant R305A080507.

CK03: 7:50-8 p.m. Problem Solving Labs at UND: Five years Later

Contributed – William A. Schwalm, University of North Dakota, Witmer Hall 213, Grand Forks, ND 58202-7129; [email protected] Mizuho K. Schwalm ,University of North Dakota and University of Minnesota- Crookston Five years ago, with the help of an NSF CCLI grant, introductory physics laboratories at the University of North Dakota were changed over to a problem-solving format. Originally this was an adaptation of the Univer- sity of Minnesota system. We present results of assessment based not on learned content but on learning of a problem-solving process within the cognitive apprenticeship paradigm. The assessment instrument focuses on the first three steps of the Minnesota five-step problem solving scheme. We attempt to measure the degree to which the importance a student assigns certain cognitive resources matches the importance attached to the same items by a set of expert problem solvers. We describe the instrument and show an analysis of the data collected over the past four years. As a result of what we learned we have been able to suggest improvements. Assessment materials can be provided on request.

CK05: 8-8:10 p.m. The Power and Usefulness of Lab tests in Intro Lab

Contributed – Michael Ponnambalam, University of the West Indies, Kingston 7, 00007, Jamaica; [email protected] We have conducted Lab Tests, with credit, for four years at the freshman level and one year at the sophomore level. It was clearly noticed that during these years the students took the lab work far more seriously than in other years. This resulted in a better learning of the lab work and the theory behind it. Details of this project will be presented.

CK06: 8:10-8:20 p.m. Developing Analysis Skills Through invention

Contributed – Natasha Holmes, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1, Canada; [email protected] Doug Bonn, Ido Roll, James Day, University of British Columbia Laboratory learning goals are often vast and overwhelming, as students attempt to develop their ability to work with equipment, analyze data, and understand the underlying physics concepts. One particular first-year lab course at UBC has altered the focus of its learning goals to be primarily on data analysis methods. This is largely achieved through the use of invention to traditional lessons alone. Also, scaffolding the activities to take students activities: inquiry-based activities that ask students to invent a solution through specific analysis or invention strategies leads them to notice more to a problem before being taught the expert solution. The combination of features of the data and reason at a deeper level. This talk will present invention activities and traditional direct instruction has been shown to results from a four-month treatment of computer-delivered, scaffolded improve student learning and performance on transfer tasks, as compared invention activities. July 28–August 1, 2012 71 As clearly illustrated by the movie “A Private Universe” (Harvard-Smith- PST1: Poster Session I sonian Center for Astrophysics), very few students have an understanding Location: Houston Hall - Bistro of the cause of the phases of the Moon. Most believe they are caused by the Date: Monday, July 30 Earth’s shadow on the Moon and/or that it somehow has to do with reflect- Time: 8:30–10 p.m. ed light—perhaps by a mirror or some other object, not by the Moon itself. Depending on the students’ level of intellectual development, different approaches may overcome these misconceptions, so I use many methods, hoping one will succeed. I will describe the methods, their advantages, and Odd number poster authors should be present 8:30-9:15 p.m. their effectiveness. The simplest seems to work best. Even number poster authors should be present 9:15-10 p.m. (Posters should be set up by 9 a.m. Monday and then taken down PST1A05: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Updated Research on the Delta by 10 p.m. Monday) Scuti Variable Star DY Herculis

Poster – Robert Moore, University of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA 30118- A - Astronomy [email protected] Bob Powell, University of West Georgia PST1A01: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Demonstration Videos for The authors reported several modest research projects at a small observa- Introductory Astronomy tory at the AAPT summer meeting in 2009. Since then, they have had an Poster – Kevin M. Lee, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68858-0299; ongoing two-year observation campaign on the variable star DY Herculis [email protected] (GSC 00968-01567, BD+12 3028, TYC 968-1567-1), which is a variable star of the Delta Scuti type. In this poster we report data on several epochs Demonstrations of physical apparatus are an important component of

Monday night of photometric data taken through Johnson-Cousin B, V, RC, and IC teaching introductory astronomy as they make science principles visible filters. The data are analyzed for determinations of period of variability and for students, keeping them engaged. However, astronomy instructors may the amplitude of variability. One result of this study is that the published face obstacles in exposing their students to physical demonstrations for period of 0.148631353 day remains unchanged within the limits of experi- a number of reasons: 1) many astronomy classes are taught by instruc- mental error. tors who do not have formal training in astronomy and may be unaware of what demonstrations are possible, 2) many smaller institutions have modest or nonexistent collections of demonstration equipment, and 3) as- B - Bauder Endowment for the Support of tronomy is increasingly taught as a distance education course. This poster will describe a new series of 2-4 minute videos entitled AU. The videos Physics Teaching Activities are publicly available at http://astro.unl.edu and may be viewed online or PST1B01: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Bauder Endowment Outreach downloaded. Simple interactive curriculum that can be used with some of the videos will be displayed. Projects Poster – Paul W. Zitzewitz, University of Michigan-Dearborn (Retired), 16229 PST1A02: 9:15-10 p.m. Introductory Astronomy Essays on Country Knoll Dr., Northville, MI 48168; [email protected] Transits, Eclipses and Occultations The Frederick and Florence Bauder Endowment provides grants for the development and distribution of innovative apparatus for physics teaching, Poster – Noella D’Cruz, Department of Natural Sciences, Joliet Junior Col- funds to obtain and or build and support traveling exhibits of apparatus, lege, Joliet, Il 60431; [email protected] or funds for local workshops. Up to approximately $500 is available to Joliet Junior College, Joliet, IL, offers a one-semester introductory astron- fund local workshops for teachers who spread the use of demonstration omy course each semester. We teach over 110 primarily non-science major and laboratory equipment. This poster will exhibit the work of prior grant students each semester. We use proven active learning strategies such as recipients who are unable to attend the meeting to present the results lecture tutorials, think-pair-share questions and small group discussions to themselves. Come and see what small grants can do and explore ideas you help these students develop and retain a good understanding of astrophysi- might have for projects.* cal concepts. Occasionally, we offer projects that allow students to explore *Other members of the Bauder Committee will be present during the poster session. course topics beyond the classroom. We hope that such projects will increase students’ interest in astronomy. We also hope that these assignments PST1B02: 9:15-10 p.m. New Jersey Section and the Bauder will help students to improve their critical thinking and writing skills. In spring ‘12, we are offering three short individual essay assignments in our Fund face-to-face sections. The essays focus on transits, eclipses and occultations Poster – Joseph Spaccavento, North Arlington High School, 222 Ridge Rd. to highlight the 2012 transit of Venus. Details of the essay assignments and North, Arlington, NJ 07031; [email protected] students’ reactions to them will be presented at the meeting. Please note Ray Polomski, NJAAPT President that this poster will expand on the contributed talk with the same title. The AAPT Bauder endowment fund for the support of physics teaching PST1A03: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Misconceptions in Astronomy was founded in the 1980s as part of the estate of longtime New Jersey residents Fredrick and Florence Bauder. Fred was a professor at the Newark Poster – Gregory L. Dolise, Harrisburg Area Community College, Harrisburg, College of Engineering, now know as the New Jersey Institute of Technol- PA 17112; [email protected] ogy. Because New Jersey was their home, the New Jersey Section benefits greatly from this endowment; examples of how the NJ Section utilizes A survey of astronomy misconceptions among non-science majors. Stu- these benefits to better serve their membership and maintain the Bauder dents were asked a series of questions to gauge their understanding of such legacy will be presented in this poster. basics concepts as solar and celestial motions, space exploration technology, and the difference between astronomy and astrology. Results are shown, follow-up questions and future plans for more detailed surveys discussed, PST1B03: 8:30-9:15 p.m. A Make and Take Workshop at the and recommendation for extending the survey to science majors given. SLL Observatory: Take 2!

Poster – Steven J. Maier, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Alva, OK PST1A04: 9:15-10 p.m. Teaching Moon Phases: A Multiple 73717; [email protected] Method Approach Bobette Deorrie Northwestern Oklahoma State University Poster – Carl T. Rutledge, East Central University, Ada, OK 74820; In the summer of 2011, a free astronomy professional development op- [email protected] portunity was offered for 15 Oklahoma educators at an observatory in

72 northwest Oklahoma. Unfortunately, due to low enrollment the workshop PST1C03: 8:30-9:15 p.m. DeepTutor: An Intelligent Tutoring did not make it in 2011. The circumstances of the 2011 workshop and System for Force and Motion corresponding follow-up strategies for ensuring success in the summer of 2012 will be discussed. At no cost, each workshop participant will receive a Poster – Brinkley Mathews, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152; green laser pointer, an LED light, a laminated skychart and a Galileoscope. [email protected] This project was made possible by funding from an AAPT Bauder grant. Elizabeth Gire, Donald Franceschetti, Vasile Rus, University of Memphis DeepTutor is an online, intelligent tutoring system designed to support PST1B04: 9:15-10 p.m. Alabama Physics Commercial students’ conceptual understanding of force and motion. A student begins Competition by responding to a conceptual physics problem. DeepTutor then engages the student in a dialogue that provides feedback and scaffolding to help the Poster – Elizabeth C. Holsenbeck, Science in Motion/Alabama State Univer- student correctly articulate how physics principles apply to the situation. sity, Hardaway, AL 36039; [email protected] Quality interaction is possible in DeepTutor through the use of a novel,

In an effort to increase enrollment in high school physics, a Physics Com- state-of-the-art natural language-based knowledge representation called mercial Competition was held in Alabama. Part of the funding was from the latent semantic logic form. Quality instruction is possible through the the Bauder Endowment for Physics Teaching through AAPT. Students use of Learning Progressions (LPs), a framework that describes a natural throughout the state were challenged to create a two-minute or less com- sequence of mental models and mental model shifts students go through Monday night mercial highlighting the advantages of physics. The emphasis was “Recruit- while mastering a topic. LPs are used in DeepTutor to model the task doing Physics Students—EVERYONE should select physics in HS and here is main, track students’ knowledge states, and provide appropriate feedback why.” The hope is that peer pressure can be a huge aid in promoting phys- to the student. DeepTutor adapts to maximize the student’s learning by ics. Other funding was from the Alabama Section of AAPT, the Alabama customizing an instruction sequence to each individual. Science Teachers Association, and Huntingdon College in Montgomery, AL. DVDs were hand delivered to every public high school in the state by PST1C04: 9:15-10 p.m. Multimedia Learning Modules as the physics specialists of Alabama Science in Motion. Preparation for Lecture-based Tutorials in Electromagnetism

C – Technologies Poster – James C. Moore, Coastal Carolina University, Conway, SC 29528- 6054; [email protected] PST1C01: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Electricity and Magnetism Self- Testing and Test Construction Tool We have investigated the efficacy of online, multimedia learning modules (MLMs) as preparation for lecture-based tutorials in electromagnetism in Poster – John C. Stewart, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701; a physics course for life science majors. Specifically, we report the results [email protected] of a multiple-group pre-/post-test research design comparing two groups receiving the following treatments with respect to activities preceding This poster presents an online resource for teaching and evaluating participation in tutorials: (1) assigned reading from a traditional textbook, introductory electricity and magnetism classes and introduces a simplified followed by a traditional lecture; and (2) completion of online multime- version of the tool that can be used on tablet devices. The resource contains dia learning modules developed at the University of Illinois at Urbana- a library of highly characterized, multiple-choice, conceptual and quantita- Champaign (UIUC), and commercially known as smartPhysics. Students tive electricity and magnetism problems and solutions all linked to a free completing the MLMs demonstrated significantly higher mid-term online textbook. The library contains over 1000 classroom tested problems. examination scores and larger gains in content knowledge as measured Each problem is characterized by the complexity of its solution and by the by the Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism (CSEM). Student fundamental intellectual steps found in the solution. Exam construction, attitudes towards “reformed” instruction in the form of active-engagement administration, and analysis tools are provided through the resource’s tutorials were also improved, with post-course surveys showing MLM- website. Problems may be downloaded for use in exams or as clicker ques- group students believed class time was used more effectively than reported tions. A self-testing tool is provided for students or instructors, an excellent by non-MLM students. tool for brushing up on conceptual electricity and magnetism. Conceptual inventory scores produced by the site are normed against the Conceptual Survey in Electricity and Magnetism. There is no cost associated with using PST1C05: 8:30-9:15 p.m. QuVis: The Quantum Mechanics any of the facilities of the site and you can begin to use the site immedi- Visualization Project ately. Supported by NSF - DUE 0535928. Site address http://physinfo.uark. edu/physicsonline for the full version and http://physinfo.uark.edu/inven- Poster – Antje Kohnle, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St. tory for the version usable on tablet devices. Andrews, North Haugh, St. Andrews, KY16 9SS United Kingdom; [email protected] PST1C02: 9:15-10 p.m. Developing Pre-flight Tutorials for Cory Benfield, Donatella Cassettari, Tom J. Edwards, Aleksejs Fomins, Matter & Interactions Alastair Gillies, Christopher Hooley, Natalia Korolkova, Joseph Llama, Bruce Sinclair, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews, Poster – Andrew S. Hirsch, Purdue University, Lafayette, IN 47907; hirsch@ Georg Haehner, School of Chemistry, University of St. Andrews purdue.edu Since 2009, we have been developing and evaluating visualizations and Rebecca Lindell, Purdue University animations for the teaching and learning of quantum mechanics concepts Inspired by the success of “pre-flight” tutorials developed by physics at the university level [Kohnle et al., Am. J. Phys. 80, 2 (2012) 148]. This faculty at UIUC, we are developing a series that are specifically tailored to resource builds on education research and our lecturing experience, and students and faculty who use the innovative introductory text, Matter & aims to specifically target student misconceptions and areas of difficulty in Interactions: Modern Mechanics, by Ruth Chabay and Bruce Sherwood quantum mechanics. Each animation includes a step-by-step exploration (Wiley). The M&I approach to mechanics (and electricity and magnetism) that explains key points in detail, and includes instructor resources consist- is distinctly different from that taken by more traditional texts. Our pre- ing of worksheets with full solutions. Animations and instructor resources flight tutorials will focus on those conceptual difficulties that have revealed are freely available at www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~qmanim, and can be played themselves over 10 years of experience with M&I. Students will view the or downloaded from this site. Animations are available on a wide range tutorials in advance of what would be a traditional lecture period and will of topics from introductory to advanced quantum mechanics. Evaluation be required to answer embedded questions in order to complete the assign- using questionnaires, diagnostic surveys, and student observation sessions ment for course credit. The material presented in the tutorials will enable goes hand-in-hand with the development. Current work aims at extending the course instructor to exercise Just In Time teaching, clicker questions the resource to include animations on introductory quantum chemistry, that further probe student understanding, and any number of other peda- as well as animations to support a revised quantum mechanics curriculum gogically appropriate activities. starting from simple two-state systems.

July 28–August 1, 2012 73 PST1C06: 9:15-10 p.m. Using a Technological Platform in the overall positive but certain ingrained practices remain. We discuss possible Implementation of a Physics Course problems and solutions. Poster – Enrique Peña, Universidad de Monterrey, Av. Morones Prieto 4500 Pte., San Pedro, Garza García, N.L. 66238 México; [email protected] PST1C11: 8:30-9:15 p.m. The Physics of Bouncing

Héctor González, Universidad de Monterrey Poster – Yi Chen, Penn State Abington, Abington, PA 19001; yoc5181@psu. Juan Carlos Ruiz, Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo León edu In this work we presented the results obtained when implementing the use Mikhail Kagan, Penn State Abington of the virtual platform of learning called WebCT to the course of Electricity The physics of a bouncing ball demonstrates some interesting and often and Magnetism, in the University of Monterrey. Our course is denomi- unexpected features. For example, a racquetball will not necessarily bounce nated online with support of the WebCT platform, that is to say, that the at the same angle as it hits the floor. This can happen due to force of fric- course takes the traditional component of the transmitting professor as tion, if the amount of spin is not appropriately balanced with the linear of the content but it has an innovating element, the use of technological speed of the ball before the bounce. In this work, we investigate the physics resources for the comprehensive formation to support the Teaching -learn- of the bounce, using the auxiliary theoretical models (described in the pre- ing process. The used didactic tools for the development of the course, as vious poster) and test our assumptions experimentally. For the experimen- well as some of the obtained preliminary results after their implementation tal testing, we designed an original setup that allows us to easily control the by four consecutive semesters in an approximated total of 300 students are relevant parameters, such as horizontal and vertical velocity components of described. the ball before the bounce, as well as its angular speed. The corresponding quantities after the bounce can be found by analyzing the ball’s trajectory PST1C07: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Making Kinematics a Dynamic and/or using video analysis. Vehicle for Launching Students into Physics*

Monday night PST1C12: 9:15-10 p.m. Using Video Analysis to Reinforce Poster – Frederick J. Thomas, Learning with Math Machines, 1014 Merry- Problem Solving wood Dr., Englewood, OH 45322; [email protected]

The NSF-funded project, “Math Machines and Algebraic Thinking,” has Poster – Yi Chen, Penn State Abington, Abington, PA 19001 yoc5181@psu. developed hardware and software that empowers students to create, test, edu compare and modify free-form mathematical functions that CONTROL Mikhail Kagan, Penn State Abington motion, rather than simply describing it. The software was created in Lab- Science and technology complement each other. Back in history, hypoth- VIEW, but distributed in executable form so the only programming skill eses were often developed without essential technologies to support it, required is in the language of “algebra.” Based on a hobby servo motor with and yet science theories were created and evolved. Nowadays science and 0.1 degree precision, the system lets students control the motion of a laser technology are more than ever fused together. Some methods of examining dot across the front of a classroom whiteboard or a small laboratory screen, physics phenomena can be tested in ways that no one would have imagined the motion of a block of wood as it creates scale-model earthquakes, the decades ago. One such possibility is using a video recording to analyze motion of gears as they drive other objects, and more. The system’s role motion, which allows measurements of position, distance, time, velocity, in motivation, pedagogy and assessment will be discussed along with op- and acceleration without setting up a complicated experiment. Here we portunities for collaboration. present a few mechanical problems that have a clear analytical solution. *Supported in part by NSF’s Advanced Technological Education Program through The answers are tested using video analysis and the appropriate software, grant DUE-1003381. More information is available at www.mathmachines.net. which would be highly non-trivial to do otherwise.

PST1C09: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Extending the Laboratory PST1C13: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Interactive Visuals to Explore X-ray Experience Through Remotely Controlled Experiments Spectrum and X-ray Attenuation Poster – Johan du Plessis, School of Applied Sciences, RMIT University, Poster – Michael R. Gallis, Penn State Schuylkill, Schuylkill Haven, PA Melbourne, VIC 3000 Australia; [email protected] 17972; [email protected] Philip Wilksch, Neil Robinson School of Applied Sciences, RMIT University Ryan Chesakis, Penn State Schuylkill Warren Nageswaran, Edu Tech and Learning Design, RMIT University Interactive applets have been developed to help Radiologic Technology A suite of five experiments was newly developed to be accessed remotely students explore some of the key physics concepts behind diagnostic X-ray and performed online: X-ray diffraction, the electronic specific charge e/m, images. The first applet uses a simplified model for mass attenuation coef- electron diffraction by a graphite polycrystalline sample, photovoltaic cells ficients to allow students to explore the roles of material properties and and the Doppler effect. These experiments were designed in such a way as X-ray energy in differential absorption which in turn to contrast features to preserve the hands-on experience and minimize the feeling of running a in diagnostic X-rays. The second applet uses a simplified model to describe simulation. Some of the experiments were used as part of a semester course bremsstrahlung and characteristic X-rays, allowing students to investi- laboratory cycle and we report on the implementation and responses from gate the effect X-ray tube high voltage and filters on the X-ray spectrum. non-major and major physics first year classes. The validation of the qualitative features of the simplified models is also discussed. These applets were created using the Easy Java Simulations tool PST1C10: 9:15-10 p.m. Using Tablets in the Laboratory to from the Open Source Physics project. Improve Feedback to Students PST1C14: 9:15-10 p.m. Accelerator Physics in High School Poster – Johan du Plessis, School of Applied Sciences, RMIT University, Lab Using Video Modelling. Melbourne, VIC 3000 Australia; [email protected] Poster – Mauricio Mendivelso-Villaquirán, Gimnasio La Montaña, Carrera 51 Danilla Grando, Ruby Biezen, School of Applied Sciences, RMIT University No. 214-55 Bogotá, CU 09002, Colombia; [email protected] As part of an initiative to achieve an all online submission, electronic Fabian A. Martinez, Luis F. Huertas, Ana M. Rodríguez, Gimnasio La Mon- marking and feedback system, pen-interactive displays as input devices taña were installed at first-year laboratory stations. We report here on the changes made to first-year laboratory procedures and resources provided A not too expensive experiment can be used to clarify main aspects of to the students in order to complete the cycle within the laboratory session. charged particles’ trace analysis in a high school physics lab: Water drops Online submission was also a requirement for all physics assignments free falling through vertical parallel plates must be deviated from vertical within the school. In the broader trials, both pen- interactive displays trajectory if there is a difference of potential between plates. Recording fall and iPads were used. Student, demonstrator and marker responses were of water drops in a video can be used to determine forces over drops and canvassed in surveys and focus group discussions. These responses were its electric charge. 74 PST1C15: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Modelling the Coefficient of between a signer and any form of visual learning being presented. This Restitution with Video is a particular problem in a planetarium where the need for a dark room conflicts with the need for a signer. We are working to remove this logistical Poster – Sandra Leiva,* Colegio Nueva York, Calle 227 No 49-64, Bogotá, barrier in the science education of deaf children, with the use of a head- CU 09002, Colombia; [email protected] mounted display. Plans call for this devise to display a streaming video or Daniel F. Santos, Andrés F. Vargas, Colegio Nueva York a pre-recorded “sound-track” that will allow the student to see the signer regardless of where they are looking. We have begun testing of the prototype Using video modelling software Tracker, we develop (as a high school lab) and will present some early results from both hearing and deaf children. a model of coefficient of restitution to different materials following Bern- stein (Am. J. Phys. 45, 41), Smith et al. (Am. J. Phys. 49, 136) and Stengaard and Lægsgaard (Am. J. Phys. 69, 301) ideas but without sound. PST1E04: 9:15-10 p.m. Middle School Students Exploring *Sponsor: Mauricio Mendivelso-Villaquiran Fiber Optics!

Poster – Pamela O. Gilchrist, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC PST1C16: 9:15-10 p.m. Enabling Modeling Pedagogy with 27695 ; [email protected] Google Docs in the Laboratory Elena Nicolescu, Monica Fanjoy, North Carolina State University Monday night Poster – Andrew E. Pawl, University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Platteville, WI Susann Heckman, Ravenscroft School 53818; [email protected] Stacey Kaufman, Franklin Academy I teach in an intermediate-size studio classroom with up to 14 groups of Imhotep Academy is a pre-college science and technology program for four students. At this size, the integrated laboratory component poses two underrepresented minority students in grades 6-8. The program uses challenges. 1) How can I efficiently lead 14 groups through a laboratory thematic-based instruction and team-teaching approaches to introduce activity in two hours? 2) How can I effectively hold a class-wide discussion students to physics, chemistry, marine, earth and atmospheric science and about discovery components of the lab? The ideal solution seemed to be mathematics. Come and learn about strategies used to develop students’ data sharing. Give different groups responsibility for different portions of awareness of fiber optics technology and applications through hands-on the lab or for performing the experiment with different parameters, then investigations of light, project-based activities that enhance students’ pool data and discuss. Personal experience, however, suggested that send- technical skills, and field trips that connect students to science, technology, ing 14 groups to the instructor station to enter laboratory data is tedious engineering, and mathematics professionals using these technologies in in- and disruptive. In this presentation I describe an alternate approach: novative ways. Summative data will also be shared to document the impact Google Docs. Each student creates a free account, and all groups can of the learning intervention on student science attitudes and aspirations. simultaneously enter data. Adoption has streamlined data entry, promoted comparison of results across groups, and enabled the detection of incorrect experimental procedure in real-time. PST1E05: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Piloting a Fiber Optics and Electronic Theory Curriculum with High School Students

PST1C17: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Position Sensing in the Physics Lab Poster – Pamela O. Gilchrist, The Science House-North Carolina State Using Open-Source Programming and Electronics. University, Research Building IV, Raleigh, NC 27695; pamela_gilchrist@ ncsu.edu Poster – Camila Vargas, Gimnasio La Montaña Carrera, 51 No. 214-55, Bogotá, CU 09002, Colombia; [email protected] Eric Carpenter, Tuere Bowles, Asia Gray-Battle, Adrian Coles, North Carolina State University María P. Posada, Fabián Martínez Gimnasio La Montaña Previous high school student participants from a multi-year blended We devised a method of determining particle position in a two-dimen- learning intervention focusing on science, technology, engineering, and sional plane, using three no colineal distance sensors. We generate an mathematics (STEM) content knowledge, technical, college, and career interface using Processing to collect position data and time and with it, we preparatory skills, were recruited to pilot a new module designed by the determine the value of the instantaneous velocities and accelerations. project staff. Participant activities included constructing a fiber optics com- (NOTE: PST1D posters start on page 80.) munication system, troubleshooting breadboard circuits and diagrammed circuits as well as hypothesis testing to discover various aspects of fiber optic cables. Participants documented their activities, wrote reflections E – Pre-college/Informal and Outreach on the content and learning endeavor, and gave talks about their research experiences to staff, peers, and relatives during the last session. Overall, it PST1E01: 8:30-9:15 p.m. AAPT’s PhysicsBowl – A Contest for was found that a significant gain in content knowledge occurred between High Schools the time of pre- (Mean=0.54) and post-testing time points for the fiber optics portion of the curriculum via the use of a paired samples t-test Poster – Michael C. Faleski, Delta College, University Center, MI 48710; (Mean=0.71), t=-2.72, p<.05. The program design, findings, and lessons [email protected] learned will be reported in this poster. The PhysicsBowl is an annual contest for high school students. The contest itself is 40 multiple-choice questions in length to be answered in no more PST1E06: 9:15-10 p.m. Ropes Course Physics than 45 minutes In 2012, there were more than 5000 students participating Poster – Elizabeth A. Holden, University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Engineering from approximately 260 schools across the world. In the past few years, Hall 219, Platteville, WI 53818; [email protected] schools have competed from the United States, Canada, China, Taiwan, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Italy. Prizes are awarded to both the To counter the still-significant gender gap in physics and engineering students and schools for high performers. This poster is to give high school fields, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville runs a multi-year outreach teachers more information about the contest. program for girls in grades 7-12. Girls stay at the university for one weekend per year and participate in a variety of activities intended to both PST1E03: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Early Testing of Head-Mounted introduce them to some engineering and physics and to generate excitement and interest about the topics. As part of the weekend’s curriculum, I Display for Deaf Education have developed a program to teach a variety of physical concepts through Poster – Holly M. Mumford, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602; the use of a ropes course. The students take data as they ride the Giant [email protected] Swing and climb the rope ladders, using the Vernier Wireless Data Sensor System and a digital video camera. Afterwards we meet to discuss energy Michael Jones, Eric G. Hintz, Jeannette Lawler, Brigham Young University conservation, periodic motion, and other concepts through the analysis of Fred R. Mangrubang, Gallaudet University their experiences on the ropes course and the data they took. My poster In an educational environment deaf children must split their attention will discuss the implementation of the program, its results, and how to modify it for use in a variety of physics outreach and classroom situations. July 28–August 1, 2012 75 PST1E07: 8:30-9:15 p.m. The International Young Physicists day morning presentations initially hosted by Buffalo State College. The Tournament for High School Students – 2012 program meets once a month on Saturday morning during the school year, with the meeting agendas collaboratively developed by the participants. Poster – Donald G. Franklin, Retired- Adjunct Status, Mercer University, Hampton, GA 30228; [email protected] PST1F05: 8:30-9:15 p.m. IDIFO3 Teachers Formation on Alan Allison, President- IYPT Modern Physics Rudolph Lehn, Host- IYPT/Germany/2012 Poster – Marisa Michelini, Physics Section of DCFA, University of Udine, via The International Young Physicists Tournament is a contest for high school delle Scienze 208, Udine, IT 33100 Italy; [email protected] students from around the world. A team of five students develops solutions for the 17 questions that are proposed each year. At the contest they take Sri P. Challapalli, CIRD of the University of Udine turns in presenting, challenging other teams, and reviewing two teams in Lorenzo G. Santi, Alberto Stefanel, Stefano Vercellati, Physics Section of what is called a “Physics Fight.” After five preliminary rounds, the top three DCFA University of Udine teams as determined by the jurors will enter the final to determine the The main fall in motivation levels with regard to scientific studies in Italy winner. The United States has sent teams to the 1999, 2001, 2004 to 2007 has been collaboratively answered through the national project (Scientific contests. Are we ready to develop a team for next year? Degree Project—PLS). Master IDIFO3 is a project in this framework for in-service teacher formation, a project focused on Didactic Innovation in Physics Education and Guidance, carried out by Udine PER Unit in collaboration with 18 Italian universities. It offers educational innovation, science F – Teacher Preparation and learning laboratories, formative orientation (problem solving) and teacher Enhancement training on Modern Physics topics for in-service teachers. It implements a model for teacher training, with an aim to develop formal thinking and to Monday night PST1F01: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Assessing the PCK of In- and Out-of- relate associated connection between Computer Science-Mathematics and Physics on Modern Physics topics. The activities such as educational and Field Physics Teachers

experimental workshops in presence, training teachers at a distance and in Poster – Jennifer J. Neakrase, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM presence, conducting exhibitions, designing Inquiry Based Learning mate- 88011; [email protected] rials, activities for the orientation training in physics, informal education through conceptual laboratories (CLOE) and use of ICT to overcome the Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) refers to how a teacher represents conceptual nodes in physics, teaching laboratories using problem solving and formulates the subject being taught in order to optimize student and Prevision-Experiment-Comparison strategies and in-depth analysis of understanding. Within physics, PCK is described as “an application of gen- learning processes in educational innovation are achieved. eral, subject-independent knowledge of how people learn to the learning of physics.” In choosing or designing successful lessons, a physics teacher must weave their knowledge of the discipline with knowledge of how PST1F06: 9:15-10 p.m. Integrating Astrobiology and students learn. When there is no certified physics teacher available, other Heliophysics into Physics Courses “out-of-field” teachers are asked to fill the role. An out-of-field teacher may Poster – Mary Ann Kadooka, University of Hawaii, Institute for Astronomy, have adequate general knowledge of how students learn, but inadequate Honolulu, HI 96822; [email protected] knowledge of the discipline of physics. This difference in knowledge between an in- and out-of-field physics teacher should be reflected in their Physics applications abound in astrobiology, search for life in the universe, PCK. This poster discusses how PCK of in- and out-of-field teachers can and heliophysics, research about the Sun and its impact on Earth. Relating be assessed through a mixed-method design, which includes analysis of physics to the questions scientists are asking today will motivate students interviews, observations, and concept maps. to realize how understanding physics principles is critical for learning any other science. Our University of Hawaii NASA Astrobiology Institute PST1F02: 9:15-10 p.m. ATE Project for TYC and HS Physics (NAI) team has been sponsoring ALI-I, an astrobiology workshop for secondary science teachers. They learn that main belt comets discovered in Teachers the Asteroid Belt remain dirty snow balls despite being so close to the Sun, Poster– Dwain M. Desbien, Estrella Mountain Community College, Avondale, how mineral samples are studied with an ion microprobe for origin of solar AZ 85392; [email protected] system research, etc. The nuclear physics of the Sun’s core, thermodynamics of its convection cells, magnetic fields of sunspots giving off coronal Tom O’Kuma, Lee College mass ejections, and solar wind speeds are heliophysics applications for The ATE Project for Physics Faculty provides intense three-day workshops physics topics. for High School and Two-Year College faculty. These workshops are led by expert faculty and address all aspects of the introductory physics course PST1F07: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Physics Education Through the Lens (lab, lecture...). Topics range from interactive engagement techniques for of Chemistry Education lecture classes to using high speed video in the lab. Descriptions of the workshops and future workshops will be shared. Funded in Part by NSF Poster – Mark Schober, Trinity School, 101 W 91st St., New York, NY 10024; DUE Grant #1003633 [email protected] Physics first is increasingly touted in high school, but the benefits are only PST1F04: 9:15-10 p.m. WNYPTA – Over 20 Years of Grass realized when the pedagogy and content coverage of the core sciences Roots Professional Development are coordinated. Teaching both physics and chemistry using Modeling Instruction, I have assembled a list of key concepts, skills, and instruc- Poster – Joseph L. Zawicki, SUNY Buffalo State College, Buffalo, NY 14222; tional approaches in physics that I find essential for coherency between [email protected] physics and chemistry. Treatments of mass, energy, electrostatics, and light; Kathleen A. Falconer, David Henry, Dan MacIsaac, David Abbott, SUNY Buf- development of experimentation and data analysis skills; and employment falo State College of student-centered discussions can be enhanced in the physics classroom when seen as a stepstone to chemistry and beyond. The Western New York Physics Teachers Alliance (WNYPTA) was originally developed at the State University of New York at Buffalo, following the model used by the New York State Mentor Networks. The initial PST1F08: 9:15-10 p.m. Preparing Future Faculty: Enhancing statewide networks were grant-funded and supported a network of physics Science Teaching Among Graduate Students teachers throughout New York state. The New Physics Teacher Institute at the State University of New York at Buffalo met regularly during the Poster – Merideth A. Frey, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511 merideth. summers and occasionally during the school year, and developed a cadre [email protected] of local physics teacher talent. WNYPTA grew out of a series of Satur- 76 Kristi Rudenga, Yale University in advance. In this poster we will describe the goals and challenges of Enhancing science teaching is a critical goal for the nation at large and developing web-based resources for responsive teaching and provide some is clearly a complex issue with many possible solutions. At Yale Univer- examples. sity’s Graduate Teaching Center, we aim to enhance teaching by training *Supported by NSF Grant 0732233 graduate students to become effective teachers through use of voluntary workshops and programs. This teaching-focused professional development PST1F12: 9:15-10 p.m. Hands-On-Science: An Integrated is particularly important for future science teachers whose formal scientific training often lacks significant teaching experiences before becoming Science Curriculum for Pre-Service K-8 Teachers full-time faculty members. We have seen a great increase in participation Poster – Mark Baumann, University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station, amongst science graduate and post-doctoral participants by simply adding C1600, Austin, TX 78712; [email protected] department-specific workshops as well as series that focus particularly on preparing future science faculty to teach their own courses. Here we Alex Barr, Antonia Chimonidou, Sacha Kopp, University of Texas at Austin analyze participation, assessments, and exit interviews to determine “best Hands-On-Science is a new program at the University of Texas at Austin practices” for science teaching workshops. We offer evidence-based sug- utilizing a guided-inquiry approach to deliver science content to pre- gestions for enhancing graduate student and postdoctoral enrollment in, service K-8 teachers. Using “Physics and Everyday Thinking” and “Physical 1

engagement with, and benefit from teaching-focused professional develop- Science and Everyday Thinking” as guide and inspiration, we have Monday night ment workshops. developed a four-semester sequence that provides an integrated approach to physics, chemistry, geology, biology, astronomy, and weather. A unified PST1F09: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Science Education in Ethnic vocabulary and conceptual framework are employed throughout all four semesters. Fundamental ideas—such as conservation principles, interac- Minority Areas of China tions, and atomistic models— are applied in all semesters to understand a Poster – Bo Zhao,* School of Information Science and Technology, Yunnan multitude of physical phenomena that span the various sciences. Hands-on Normal University, Kunming, Yunnan 650092, China; [email protected] experiments, computer simulations, and mobile apps provide students the opportunity to answer scientific questions using evidence-based reasoning. Lin Ding, School of Teaching and Learning, The Ohio State University We present an overview of the structure and methodology of the Hands- China is a multi-ethnic nation with rich and diverse culture traditions. On-Science program and its four-semester curriculum, as well as describe Statewide standardized textbooks, however, take little into account the current and potential research questions that are enticing and available in local ethnic minority cultures; thus limiting the opportunities of preserving an integrated science program such as this one. the unique ethnic traditions through education. In this paper, we discuss 1. Fred Goldberg, Stephen J. Robinson, and Valerie K. Otero (San Diego State Uni- the relation between ethnic minority cultures and science education in versity) China. In particular, we propose ideas on development of effective curriculum resources for use by teachers, and on reform of classroom teaching in PST1F13: 8:30-9:15 p.m. From Experiment to Model with the order to incorporate ethnic minority cultures into science education. *Sponsor: Lin Ding Interactive Whiteboard in the Primary School Poster – Alberto Stefanel, Research Unit in Physics Education, DCFA of the PST1F10: 9:15-10 p.m. Using RTOP to Mentor Pre-service University of Udine, Via Delle Scienze, 206 UDINE, IT 33100 ITALY; alberto. and Alternative Certification Candidates [email protected] Marisa Michilin, Lorenzo Santi, Alessandro Mossenta, Stefano Vercellati, Poster – Kathleen A. Falconer, SUNY Buffalo State College, Buffalo, NY Research Unit in Physics Education, DCFA of the University of Udine 14222; [email protected] The interactive whiteboard allows us to construct personal representations Joseph L. Zawicki, Luanna Gomez, Dan MacIsaac, Lowell Sylwester, SUNY starting from photos, drawings, and diagrams. Therefore it can be used in Buffalo State College science education to build a bridge between the experimental exploration Pre-service and alternative certification physics candidates at the State of phenomena and the construction of formalized models. Some contexts University of New York, Buffalo State College, have been observed, using such as optics, electrostatics, and electromagnetism are particularly suit- the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) for at least five able for developing educational proposals that help students even in basic years. Combined courses in content and pedagogy have utilized the RTOP school to build representations of physical phenomena, favoring the de- instrument as a theoretical framework and practical assessment tool. velopment of formal thinking. The proposals developed were tested with a Teacher candidates, and new teachers, often focus on the content, not on group of 90 university students (future primary teachers) involved in phys- the learners; pedagogical content knowledge is not just pedagogy -- it is ics education courses at the University of Udine. Some of these proposals pedagogy and content within the context of the learner. By focusing on exemplify some of the significant potential of the white board for new learner actions, the RTOP focuses the attention of the new teachers on the educational proposals based on active learning and personal involvements classroom culture. This poster will discuss trends in candidate performance of students in the passage from real phenomenology to the construction of data and in student teacher supervisor observations. physical models.

PST1F11: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Web-based Resources for Responsive Teaching in Science* G – Labs/Apparatus Poster – Fred Goldberg, San Diego State University, CRMSE, 6475 Alavara- do Road, Suite 206, San Diego, CA 92120; [email protected] PST1G01: 8:30-9:15 p.m. An Advanced Lab on Polarization Sharon Bendall, Michael McKean, Center for Research in Math and Science Optics with Vector Beams Education/San Diego State University Poster – Enrique J. Galvez, Colgate University, Dept. of Physics and As- As part of a project to promote responsive science teaching in elementary tronomy, Hamilton, NY 13346; [email protected] classrooms, we have developed two web-based resources. One resource Polarization of light is an important topic of experimental physics. Thus, provides an example of a responsive “curriculum,” one that could guide experiments that go beyond direct verification of creation and detection teachers as they implement responsive teaching in their own classrooms. of polarization states is highly desirable. In this presentation I propose an The other resource is aimed at science educators and prospective teachers, experiment with “Vector beams” that serves this purpose. Vector beams providing a rich description of what responsive teaching in science looks are combinations of spatial Gaussian modes and polarization. The experi- like in elementary classrooms. In a responsive teaching classroom teach- ments entail preparing a collinear superposition of two first-order helical ers attend and respond to students’ ideas and reasoning; their next move (Laguerre-Gauss) modes with orthogonal polarizations. This is done with decisions are based on their assessing the merits of the students’ own ideas. two forked gratings and a Mach-Zehnder interferometer with polarizing Thus, a “curriculum” exists only in its enactment, and cannot be prescribed

July 28–August 1, 2012 77 beam splitters. The resulting beams are Vector beams, which contain many PST1G06: 9:15-10 p.m. A Multi-Representational Bernoulli different states of polarization in the same beam. Diagnosis consists of a set Lab and Assessment of waveplates and an imaging camera. Poster – Katherine Misaiko, University of New England, Biddeford, ME PST1G03: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Creating Sustainable Positive Change 04005; [email protected] in Upper-Division Laboratory Courses at a Large James Vesenka, University of New England Research University Bernoulli’s Principle (BP) is a confounding concept for students partially because of the counterintuitive relationship between speed and pressure. Poster – Heather Lewandowski, University of Colorado, CB 440 Boulder, CO When applied correctly, BP is quite useful in helping to quantify a variety 80026; [email protected] of important and common biological phenomena. Complicating matters Benjamin Zwickl, Noah Finkelstein, University of Colorado are the many phenomena erroneously attributed to BP on the web, some of which are assimilated into instruction. We have developed a lab activ- Courses at a large research university are often taught by a large number of ity around BP to measure the density of air using a barometric sensor and faculty members. This can present a challenge when transforming courses simple mathematical modeling. Wide variations in results tend to reduce because a large number of faculty have to buy in to the transformed course the impact of the lab activity since great care is required in both data structure. We highlight the steps we took to create widespread faculty collection and corrections. We describe efforts to improve the lab activity support for significant transformations of the senior-level advanced lab along with the development of alternative diagrammatic and graphical course at the University of Colorado-Boulder. The process began with representations to establish the best mechanism for helping students to observations of the original course, followed by the development of construct understanding about BP. Supported by DUE 1044154 consensus learning goals, renovation of the space, purchasing new equipment, redesigning curriculum, and finally assessing student learning. We demonstrate how physics education researchers can form a constructive PST1G07: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Using Arduino and Tracker to

Monday night relationship with the faculty to combine the expertise of traditional faculty Model Human Eye’s Pupil Response to a Periodic with a research-based approach to create sustainable positive change to an Excitement

upper-division laboratory course. Poster – Valentina Mazzanti, Gimnasio La Montaña, Carrera 51 No. 214-55, PST1G04: 9:15-10 p.m. Large-Scale Model of the Force Bogotá, CU 09002, Colombia; [email protected] Microscope Cantilever Sebastian Escobar, Mauricio Mendivelso-Villaquirán, Gimnasio La Montaña Modelling is a basic skill to develop physical thinking in our students. We Poster – Fredy R. Zypman, Yeshiva University, New York, NY 10033; propose a particular situation to model the human eye’s pupil behavior [email protected] using video modelling and a cheap electronic system based on Arduino. Scanning Force Microscopy (SFM) has been used and developed for some 20 years and has played a pivotal role in the progress of hard and soft con- PST1G08: 9:15-10 p.m. Analyses of The Blowgun densed matter. However, its insertion in the physics curriculum has been Demonstration Experiment minimal both regarding theory and experiments. One possible justification of this situation is that an SFM is very expensive and difficult to use. In this Poster – Koji Tsukamoto, Kashiwa Minami High School, 1705 Masuo, presentation, we will show the use of a home-built scaled up model of the Kashiwa City, Chiba 270-2231, Japan; [email protected] cantilever, which is the SFM’s sensor. A flexible, 0.5-meter bar is made to Masanori Uchino, Tokyo Univ. of Science vibrate about its horizontal equilibrium position. A laser beam is directed toward the top face of the cantilever and, upon reflection its trace is col- Etsuo Arakawa, Takane IWASAKI, Tokyo Gakugei Univ. lected at a screen. The resonant frequencies can then be directly observed A demonstration experiment using a blowgun is effective for introducing and photographed for further analysis. We study the effect of external dynamics. We will conduct this demonstration and show its effectiveness forces on frequency shifts. We will discuss students’ reports. at our oral presentation, “Experimental Demonstration Using a Blowgun for Introducing Dynamics.”1 Quantitative measurement is not necessary PST1G05: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Remote Controlled Laboratory for presenting this demonstration in a classroom because its result is Experiments: Some Test with Selected High School explicit and clear. We, however, measured the results of this experiment in order to see that they correspond to the prediction using elemen- Students tary mechanics equations. We will show the results and analyses of the Poster – Alberto Stefanel, Research Unit in Physics Education, DCFA of the measurement. University of Udine, Via Delle Scienze 206, Udine, IT 33100, Italy; alberto. 1. K. Tsukamoto and M. Uchino, “The Blowgun Demonstration Experiment,” Phys. [email protected] Teach. 46, 334-336 (2008). Marisa Michiline, Lorenzo Santi, Stefano Vercellati, Alessandra Mossenta, The University of Udine PST1G09: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Bibliography of Experiments for Physics Instructional Labs The laboratory plays a key role in learning physics in particular when it activates the personal involvement of students in learning. Some experi- Poster – Randall Tagg, University of Colorado-Denver, Denver, CO 80217- ments, particularly dangerous, expensive or complicated ones, however, 3364; [email protected] may not be easy or even possible to make the equipment usable in edu- A project was begun more than 20 years ago to create and maintain a cational lab with students. For this reason, remote controlled apparatuses bibliography of papers on experiments in physics useful for instructional (RCL) may be particularly significant. Several laboratories RCL can also be labs. This includes papers from the American Journal of Physics, the offered to high school students. As part of modern physics summer school European Journal of Physics, The Physics Teacher, and Physics Education. held in Udine in 2011, six RCL laboratory activities on light and electron The first compilation appeared in the proceedings of the Labfocus93 con- scattering, Millikan’s experiment, the measure of the speed of light, Ruth- ference in Boise, ID. Here is an update on the project, including efforts to erford experiment, photoelectric effect (http://rcl.physik.uni-kl.de /) have merge with other resources for physics instruction and to include a wider been proposed to a select group of students from all over Italy. The results range of publications. A significant effort went into a useful classification demonstrate effectiveness of the RCL lab in producing student involve- scheme that now needs to be cross-referenced to other systems used by ment and enable positive learning paths on conceptual issues central in the physics educators. processes explored.

78 PST1G10: 9:15-10 p.m. Gelin’ in the Physics Lab PST1G15: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Interfacing PASCO Sensors with the

Poster – Aaron Titus, High Point University, High Point, NC 27262; atitus@ LabJack U3-HV highpoint.edu Poster – Timothy A. Niiler, Penn State Brandywine, Media, PA 19382; Gel electrophoresis is a separation technique used to identify DNA. Yet, it [email protected] is also an excellent application of introductory physics principles. A uni- Malick Fofana, Penn State Brandywine form electric field is set up across a gel. Negatively charged DNA molecules With recent budget cuts due to the economic situation, it has become migrate toward higher electric potential. Due to drag, the DNA molecules increasingly difficult to maintain or replace failing electronics equipment travel at a terminal speed, and students can apply Newton’s second law to in the physics lab. Other than computers, the most expensive equipment investigate the drag on the DNA. In this experiment, groups of introduc- many labs maintain are their DAQ devices such as the PASCO Science tory physics students applied different voltages to the gel. They took final Workshop 750. We demonstrate our successful integration of a lower cost photos of the DNA after a measured time interval and used Tracker’s line alternative, the LabJack U3-HV, with our existent PASCO sensors. Our profile to measure the distance traveled by the DNA bands in the gel. Their

results include both easy to use open-source data acquisition software for data was aggregated to see if the terminal speed was proportional to the ap- many out-of-the box labs as well as schematics for creating the requisite plied voltage. The results indicated that to some extent, DNA can be simply wiring harnesses needed for the PASCO-LabJack interface. Data collection

modeled as a uniformly charged cylinder. The experiment has tremendous Monday night is shown to be easier than with the DataStudio interface and extensible value for an introductory physics laboratory. The experiment, its results, with modest scripting experience. and its usefulness in teaching physics will be presented.

PST1G11: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Granular Physics Demonstrations PST1G16: 9:15-10 p.m. Measuring Centripetal Force in Vertical Circular Motion with Force Probe Poster – Eli T. Owens, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695; [email protected] Poster – Oather B. Strawderman, Lawrence Free State HS, Lawrence, KS 66049; [email protected] Karen E. Daniels, North Carolina State University A common introductory laboratory utilizes a rubber stopper that is spin- Granular materials, for example sand, provide several opportunities for ning in a horizontal circle. The rubber stopper is attached to a string that physics demonstrations. Composed of macroscopic particles interacting is threaded through a plastic tube. At the end of the string hangs a mass in a purely classical way through the particle contacts, granular materi- that supplies the tension that supplies the centripetal force. My variation of als have many industrial applications and are one of the most commonly this lab is appropriate for an advanced physics course such as AP Physics. transported materials. Granular physics is also relevant in many geophys- The rubber stopper is this time spun in a vertical circle. The string is still ics and astrophysics studies, yet physics students are rarely introduced to threaded through a plastic tube but this time it is attached to a force probe. this important class of materials. Granular materials also display some The tension in the string varies as it travels around the vertical circle. The interesting phenomena. For example, two different types of particles tend graph of the string tension is sinusoidal in nature. Using the data from the to segregate in seeming violation of increasing entropy. I will show and graph and other measurements, the students can apply the equation for explain granular physics demonstrations that illustrate this and many other centripetal force in a more advanced and complex situation. The poster interesting granular physics principles. These demonstrations are very eye presents the details of the lab. catching and many can be constructed using simple household materials. PST1G17: 8:30-9:15 p.m. New Laboratory for Non-scientists PST1G12: 9:15-10 p.m. Helmholtz Coil Magnetic Fields Includes Simple(st?) Equipment Revisited Poster – Leonard Finegold, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104; Poster – Stephen Luzader, Frostburg State University, Frostburg, MD 21532; [email protected] [email protected] The setting is a science elective with no prerequisites,1 to seduce students Jason Michael Pattonair into an appreciation of physics. We have now instituted a laboratory At the 2006 and 2007 AAPT Summer Meetings, we reported on the component, with the aim of a range of equipment from the simplest (with magnetic field produced by the Helmholtz coils in three e/m setups. One the most information/$) to experiments using good oscilloscopes. The ex- apparatus in particular produced rather poor results, and we suspected that periments start with g (dropping tennis balls, students have good reflexes), the error might arise from the electrons moving through regions where v = at (ball rolling down slope), test of general relativity with pendulum, the magnetic field is less than the value predicted by the standard formula. modeling the faster cooling of Mars as compared to Earth by measuring We have revisited the problem and have done field calculations taking into relative cooling rates of metal spheres, and simulating radioactive decay by account the finite axial and radial thicknesses of the coils. We find that flipping 100 coins. Commercial experiments measure the speed of light in all three setups can produce acceptable results as long as the mean radius fiber optics glass, and show similar polarization of light and microwaves. of the coil is used to calculate the field, and if the electrons always pass We emphasize straight-line graphs, plotting manually and (later graduating through the central region between the coils where the field is relatively to) Excel. uniform. 1. L.A. Bloomfield, How Things Work, (Wiley NJ 2010).

PST1G14: 9:15-10 p.m. Implementation of a Web-Enabled PST1G18: 9:15-10 p.m. Pressure Beneath the Surface of a Interactive Renewable Energy Laboratory Fluid: Measuring the Correct Depth

Poster – Steven Vuong, 12 Wimbledon Circle, Salinas, CA 93906; steven. Poster – Richard P. McCall, St. Louis College of Pharmacy, 4588 Parview Pl., [email protected] St. Louis, MO 63110; [email protected] Brooke Haag, Tito Polo, Hartnell An experiment where the pressure beneath the surface of a fluid is measured as a function of depth can lead to substantial error if the depth is not Dan O’Leary, UCSC/ NASA AIMS measured correctly. In a laboratory exercise, a tube attached to a pressure Since the summer of 2011, I have collaborated on the Course Curriculum sensor is lowered into a column of water, trapping air in the tube. As the and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI) grant project at Hartnell College in pressure increases with depth, the volume of the air in the tube decreases partnership with the University of California, Santa Cruz. We have worked resulting in water entering the tube. The water in the tube must be able to to implement a web-enabled renewable energy laboratory to include a be observed in order to properly measure the depth. An example is pre- remotely operated solar panel. I have assisted in the development of the lab sented where a 10% error is reduced to only 1% by taking this systematic modules, instruction of the labs, and assessment of learning outcomes. In error into account. this poster, I present assessment results as of spring 2012 and prospects for future project improvement. July 28–August 1, 2012 79 PST1G19: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Real-Time Thermodynamic PST1G23: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Transforming Traditional Labs into Experiments with High Resolution Discovery Tasks for Non-STEM Majors

Poster – Eric Ayars, California State University, Chico, Chico, CA 95929- Poster – Mark I. Liff, Philadelphia University, 4201 Henry Ave., Philadelphia, 0202; [email protected] PA 19144; [email protected] Daniel Lund, Lawrence Lechuga, California State University, Chico The search for alternatives to traditional labs intensified lately since tradi- The heat equation is often taught in upper-level physics and engineer- tional labs are often perceived as insufficiently effective teaching vehicles. ing courses, but laboratory equipment that allows students to test this One of the directions of this search is based on developing discovery important concept are lacking. Existing educational apparatus for this labs where the students are expected to solve a problem novel to them or experiment is either expensive or extremely limited. Recent advances sometimes make a re-discovery by a combination of the theoretical and in microcontroller systems and sensor technology allow the use of large experimental methods. Instead of step-by-step instructions, the students numbers of high-precision sensors to obtain temperature information with are given a brief review of the relevant theory, and speedy introduction high spatial/temporal resolution in real time, at relatively low cost. We into operating of the corresponding set-up. A certain knowledge base is demonstrate one such apparatus here. indispensable for every creative task. We transformed a number of traditional labs into discovery labs and let our students complete them. In this paper we discuss merits and flaws of the newly developed labs based on the PST1G20: 9:15-10 p.m. Sound Velocity and End Correction of student reaction to them. Open Ended Circular Pipe

Poster – Dongryul Jeon, Seoul National University, Department of Physics PST1G24: 9:15-10 p.m. Addressing Multiple Goals in an Education, 1 Gwanakro, Gwanakgu Seoul, South Korea; [email protected] Introductory Physics Laboratory

Changsoo Lee, Seoul National University, Department of Physics Education Poster – Scott W. Bonham, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY Monday night The antinode of an open-ended pipe is located outside the actual end of 42101; [email protected] the pipe, known as the end correction. The amount of the end correction Doug Harper, Lance Pauley, Western Kentucky University depends on the pipe size. We performed an experiment to measure the speed of sound and to find simultaneously the amount of end correction Physics laboratories can address a variety of goals, such as learning mea- as a function of pipe diameter for a circular pipe. For this, we measured surement techniques, developing conceptual understanding, designing ex- the sound intensity as a function of position by scanning a microphone periments, analyzing data, reporting results, and others. As our department along the pipe and corrected the data by taking into account the theoretical began revision of our university physics laboratory, we formed a task force sound intensity. The results showed that the resonance frequency decreased representing a cross-section of the department to define learning outcomes and the length of air column increased proportionally when the pipe for the new curriculum. This resulted in a list of eight general learning diameter increased. The speed of sound and the amount of end correction outcomes: measurement (using both low- and high-tech tools), develop- were calculated from the slope and the intercept of the graph of resonance ing experimental procedures, analyzing data, technical writing, conceptual frequency vs pipe diameter. understanding, uncertainty and error, team work, and a positive experience. A team led by faculty members with expertise in physics education research (Bonham) and LabView data acquisition (Harper) have developed PST1G21: 8:30-9:15 p.m. The North American Network of the new curriculum to address all these goals, which will be described Science Labs Online (NANSLO) along with a preliminary assessment of the curriculum. *Supported by the National Science Foundation through DUE-0942293. Poster – Todd G. Ruskell, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401; [email protected] Daniel Brannan, Rhonda Epper, Colorado Community College System Patricia Shea, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education D – Physics for All The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) is col- PST1D01: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Optics for Artists, Photographers, laborating with the Colorado Community College System and BCcampus Film Makers and Others to create a network of web-based remote-controlled laboratory experiences for introductory physics, chemistry, and biology. We report on the status of Poster – Scott W. Bonham, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY NANSLO, discuss results from the initial implementation of these labs in 42101; [email protected] introductory physics courses taught through Colorado Community Col- The Light, Color and Vision course at Western Kentucky University attracts leges Online, and describe plans for expanding the network. many non-scientists seeking to fulfill their science requirement, many of whom have strong interest in visual phenomena with art, photojournalism, PST1G22: 9:15-10 p.m. The Reformation of Introductory and broadcasting majors strongly represented. To connect, challenge, and Physics at University of Southern Mississippi make the course relevant to this audience, I have developed a hands-on, studio curriculum that reduces use of mathematical calculation in favor of Poster – Hiro Shimoyama, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hatties- ray and spectral diagrams. Each unit incorporates a relevant artistic focus, burg, MS 39406; [email protected] such as works by George Seurat to illustrate principles of color and percep- The graduate teaching assistants (TAs) and I have reformed the introduction, and an important scientist, including Ahazan, Newton and Einstein, tory physics lab education at the University of Southern Mississippi over to build a historical storyline of the development of scientific ideas about the last five years. The main goals were to provide proper equipment, to light, color and vision. Assessments include photographing phenomena create quality of curriculum, and to establish good network among TAs and ray diagrams of real-life situations, as well as quizzes and exams. This and lecture instructors. Mississippi State is the worst state in terms of curriculum helps keep students engaged throughout the semester and con- preparing STEM subjects for college study. Under such conditions, we have nect physics to things they are interested in. been seeking the best way to improve these students’ ability. In the first phase, we organized the facility so TAs can teach well. In the second phase, PST1D02: 9:15-10 p.m. Poetry Writing in General Physics we grasped actual students’ learning processes and their background. In Courses the third phase, we collected all aspects of feedback from TAs and students. Then, we eventually integrated the solution as our innovative lab manual Poster – William L. Schmidt, Meredith College, Raleigh, NC 27607-5298; with other external arrangement. [email protected] Physics and poetry are two of the great human intellectual endeavors—

80 each producing deep insights on self-created models of the universe. PST1D06: 9:15-10 p.m. Global Energy Resources: A General Poetry writing can be incorporated into general physics courses to provide Education Course a creative challenge to students who often perceive physics as being unre- lated to the real world. Students write poems in a specific context of physics Poster – Ernest R. Behringer, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI to help them develop a personalized window on the world. The poetry 48197; [email protected] provides lively classroom discussion and a light-hearted approach to what Global Energy Resources is a course that fulfills a general education is often seen as a purely logical subject. Teachers get insight into the minds requirement in the area of global awareness. Initially co-taught by three of students from a broader and more personal perspective than problem instructors during fall 2010, it was taught by a single instructor during Fall solving. The assignments and the merits of poetry will be discussed. Some 2011. Students were introduced to the distribution and use of global energy examples of student poetry will be shared. resources, and to energy concepts and technologies. Students were asked to complete homework assignments, in-class activities, a group project, PST1D03: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Princeton Science and Engineering and to generate a video presentation. The group project included an oral presentation and written report describing a plan to manage the energy re-

Education Initiative sources of a foreign nation from the present time through 2030. A detailed Poster – Carolyn D. Sealfon, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544; description of the course will be given, along with a summary of successes

[email protected] and challenges, and plans for the future. Monday night Els N. Paine, Princeton University The Science and Engineering Education Initiative at Princeton University PST1D07: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Getting Students to Think Like a Geek aims to inspire and prepare all undergraduates, irrespective of their majors, Poster – Hillary D. Stephens, Pierce College-Fort Steilacoom, 9401 Farwest to become scientifically and technologically literate citizens and decision- Dr. SW, Lakewood, WA 98498; [email protected] makers. Launched by the faculty on the Council on Science and Technol- ogy in September 2011, the initiative involves revising and creating science As educators a common goal is to have students apply what they have and engineering courses that emphasize the role of science in society. We learned beyond the walls of the classroom. However, the connection have begun by defining student-centered learning goals and surveying between class work and real life can evade many students. This poster students’ attitudes toward science and engineering. Course by course, we presents ways to take students beyond the classroom using media from their are also gradually applying research-based teaching methods to better align everyday lives. Students are asked to critically think about physics concepts course activities with learning goals, assessing learning gains, and creating as they might encounter them outside of contrived classroom problems by a repository of successful methods and courses. analyzing television shows, cereal boxes, children’s books, t-shirts and other media that portray physical phenomena in both accurate and inaccurate ways. Similar to “What if Anything is Wrong?” tasks inspired by physics PST1D04: 9:15-10 p.m. Teaching Quantum Physics: There Are education research, students discuss the good, the bad and ways to improve. No Particles, Only Fields

Poster – Art Hobson, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701; PST1D08: 9:15-10 p.m. “The Core” Illustration of Poor Physics [email protected] for Non-Science Majors

A strong case for a pure fields view of reality has developed since 1970, Poster – Steven J. Sweeney, King’s College, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18711; ste- especially since the standard model’s confirmation. Electrons, photons, [email protected] etc. are field quanta, yet we teach students that they are particles, leading to confusion and inconsistency. A textbook survey confirms this The major concepts of physics, such as forces, gravity, and conservation conclusion. The history of classical and quantum fields confirms that “the of energy, are some of the most fundamental ideas we hold about the basic ingredients of nature are fields; particles are derivative phenomena” universe. For non-science majors, much of their exposure to these concepts (Steven Weinberg). Thus the Schroedinger equation is the non-relativistic comes through popular movies and television shows. One in particular, field equation for a real physical matter field (the electron-positron field). “The Core”, does such a poor job of following basic physics that I have used Individual electrons and photons really do come through both slits. An it as a capstone-type event in a conceptual physics course for non-science electron is its “wave function” (field). Testifying to the reality of fields are majors at King’s College, a liberal arts institution. The semester-long course the Lamb shift, Casimir effect, Unruh effect, the recently discovered non- introduces the major concepts of introductory physics with non-examples locality of single quanta, the inconsistency of relativity with quantum point from many popular movies, and it finishes with a multi-page analysis particles, and more. These ideas can be taught at any level, from conceptual by students of “The Core.” This provides them both a chance to draw through post-graduate. A preprint will be available. together the concepts learned over the semester and to use those concepts to analyze events and statements in the movie as practice for things they encounter in the media after college. PST1D05: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Teaching The Physics of Music with an Activities-based Curriculum

Poster – Deva O’Neil, 401 NW View St., Bridgewater, VA 22812; doneil@ bridgewater.edu H – Upper Division Courses and Topics By centering a course around the theme of sound and music, physics becomes fun and relevant for non-science majors. Students are introduced PST1H01: 8:30-9:15 p.m. A Framework for Adopting Modeling to the physics of sound waves, including the decibel scale, interference, in Upper-Division Lectures and Labs and the mathematical representation of waves. The bulk of the course is devoted to the physics of music: resonance, intervals, properties of musical Poster – Benjamin M. Zwickl, University of Colorado, Boulder CO 80309- notes (pitch, volume, timbre), scales and temperaments, and the design of 0390; [email protected] musical instruments. The Physics of Music lends itself well to experiential Noah Finkelstein, H.J. Lewandowski, University of Colorado Boulder learning. In this presentation, various activities that have been implement- Modeling, the practice of developing, testing, and refining models of physi- ed successfully at Bridgewater College will be described, including: using cal systems, is gaining support as a key scientific practice, and is included an oscilloscope hooked up to a piano keyboard to analyze waveforms of in the new Framework for K-12 Science Education released by the National chords and intervals, playing and singing different notes into a microphone Research Council. Modeling Instruction, RealTime Physics, Matter & to study timbre, using resonance tubes to study the physics of wind instru- Interactions, and other model-based curricula have introduced a modeling ments, measuring the beat frequency produced by tuning forks, making a emphasis to many classrooms at the high school and introductory college “straw oboe,” and much more. level, but there has been little move to include modeling in the upper- http://people.bridgewater.edu/~doneil/music.html division lecture or lab courses. In this poster we present a framework for adopting modeling into existing lab courses as part of general strategy

July 28–August 1, 2012 81 for scientific inquiry. We also present a model of laboratory modeling PST1H07: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Enhancing the Experimental that includes modeling the physical and measurement systems and their Experience: An Advanced Undergraduate Research relationship. We elucidate the framework through the specific example of a Laboratory in Medical Physics pendulum lab. Poster – Daniela Buna, Ramapo College of NJ, Mahwah, NJ 07430; PST1H03: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Active Engagement Materials for [email protected] Nuclear & Particle Physics Courses Daniela Buna, Victoria Malczanek, Ramapo College of NJ Laboratory experience in undergraduate physics is an essential compo- Poster – Jeff Loats, Metropolitan State College of Denver, Denver, CO 80217; nent of the physics curriculum that in many instances seals the student’s [email protected] interest in physics and places the student on the path of graduate studies. Ken Krane, Oregon State University Most undergraduate physics majors take two semesters of physics with Cindy Schwarz, Vassar College calculus laboratory, one semester of Modern Physics and possibly another semester of laboratory usually associated with courses such as Electronics, The past three decades of physics education research have seen the devel- Optics or Condensed Matter, atomic and nuclear physics. Small colleges opment of a rich variety of research-based instructional strategies that now such as Ramapo College of New Jersey do not offer the laboratory settings permeate many introductory courses. Implementing these active-engage- and equipment needed for advanced research in physics. However, based ment techniques in upper-division courses requires effort and is bolstered on the experience gained in Physics with Calculus and Modern Physics by experience. This can impede instructors who might otherwise be eager laboratory, a Medical Physics laboratory is a very rewarding experience for to use these methods. This particular effort, funded by an NSF-TUES the students in the sense that is level appropriate for the junior year, it is grant1, aims to develop, test, and disseminate active-engagement materials based on solid foundation of Modern Physics and it introduces the student for nuclear and particle physics topics. We will present examples of the ma- to an area that offers great job opportunities as well as an exciting lifelong terials being developed, including: a) Conceptual discussion questions for career in interdisciplinary physics. We developed a Medical Physics labora- Monday night use with Peer Instruction; b) warm-up questions for use with Just in Time tory which offers Gamma spectroscopy with a scintillation detector and a Teaching, c) “Back of the Envelope” estimation questions and small-group multichannel analyzer set-up, NMR measurements of resonance, relaxation

case studies that will incorporate use of nuclear and particle databases, as rates, introductory spin sequences and signal processing via FFT, X-ray well as d) conceptual exam questions. A contributed talk on the same topic interaction with matter experiments, measuring absorption coefficients, will also be presented at the meeting. radiation dose and interatomic spacing measurements via Bragg diffraction 1. NSF award DUE-1044037 and an introduction to superconductors and measurements of resistivity of superconductors using SQUIDS. The physical phenomena studied are PST1H05: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Computing Across the Physics essential to the Medical Diagnostic Imaging equipment used in hospitals. Curriculum The laboratory was offered very successfully to a group of 18 students in their junior/senior year, in 2011. The experience gained became very Poster – Ethan M. Dolle, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011- valuable when applying for summer REU internships and admission into 6010; [email protected] graduate school. Mark James, Kathy Eastwood, NAU We have received a grant from the NSF CCLI Phase I program to integrate PST1H08: 9:15-10 p.m. Instructor Expectations of Undergradu- computing into our upper-division physics and astronomy curriculum. ate Students Entering Quantum Mechanics Our end product will be a set of learning materials in the form of Matlab computational modules that will be freely available. Computation applica- Poster – Christopher A. Oakley, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303; tions are both qualitative and quantitative in nature and involve simula- [email protected] tions and demonstrations during class as well as student explorations and John M. Aiken, Brian D. Thoms, Georgia State University homework assignments outside of class. Pedagogical goals, Matlab code, Characterizing faculty expectations is important to produce a comprehen- samples of student work, and instructor comments are included in each sive understanding of what knowledge and skills students should acquire module. Information gathered from instructors and students provide before and during a quantum mechanics course (QMC). We describe insight into benefits and challenges of infusing computation into upper- interviews conducted with faculty members in the Physics & Astronomy division courses. We present an overview of the project as well as modules Department of Georgia State University. These interviews probe faculty written for upper-division physics and astronomy courses, including members’ expectations of senior undergraduate students’ background in mechanics, electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, thermal physics, and mathematics, physics, and quantum mechanics concepts before entering a stellar and planetary astrophysics. We acknowledge the support of the NSF QMC. The interviews we conducted may provide students with a “map” for through DUE-0837368. areas that will help strengthen the knowledge and skills obtained in their QMC. We will report on faculty members views on optimal preparation for PST1H06: 9:15-10 p.m. Developing Research-based Materials an undergraduate student entering a QMC and appropriate learning goals for Upper-Division Electrodynamics for a student completing a QMC.

Poster – Charles Baily, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0390; [email protected] PST1H09: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Affordances of Group Problem Steven J. Pollock, University of Colorado at Boulder Solving Activities The PER group at the University of Colorado has spent several years re- Poster – Adam Kaczynski, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04473-5709; searching student learning in the context of upper-division physics courses, [email protected] and developing instructional materials designed to promote understanding Michael C Wittmann, University of Maine of advanced topics in physics. We have recently expanded our previous Tutorial instruction is often an effective method of content instruction but efforts in the area of electrostatics, to include topics from junior-level does not address all of the goals we have as instructors. A new group prob- electrodynamics, such as: Maxwell’s time-dependent equations, bound- lem-solving activity was implemented in a sophomore-level mechanics ary conditions, reflection and transmission of electromagnetic waves, and course at a four-year university in place of the series of tutorials on damped more. This poster provides an overview of the kinds of transformations harmonic motion from Intermediate Mechanics Tutorials.1 The activity was we have incorporated into our second-semester E&M course, and offers designed to support students in finding coherence between graphical, sym- examples of homework problems, concept tests, and other in-class activi- bolic, and qualitative representations of an underdamped harmonic system ties we have developed. through discussion of their known models and observations of the system. We will discuss how this new activity affords students the opportunity to

82 authentically solve problems in comparison to the tutorials it replaced. PST1H13: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Students’ Use of Eigenvalue 1. M. C. Wittmann, and B. S. Ambrose, Intermediate Mechanics Tutorials, available Equations in Quantum Mechanics under a Creative Commons License at http://perlnet.umaine.edu/imt/. Poster – Elizabeth Gire, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152; egire@ PST1H10: 9:15-10 p.m. Benefits of Pre-Tutorial Homework memphis.edu Assignments in Advanced Thermal Physics Courses* Corinne A. Manogue, Oregon State University Eigenvalue equations are used extensively and in a variety of ways when Poster – Trevor I. Smith, Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA 17013; smithtre@ solving problems in quantum mechanics. We conducted semi-structured dickinson.edu interviews of upper-level physics students in which students solved a prob- John R. Thompson, Donald B. Mountcastle, University of Maine lem related to quantum measurements. In a phenomenographic analysis Over the past decade, guided-inquiry worksheet activities (a.k.a. tutorials) of the students’ solutions, we identified five roles that eigenvalue equations have become popular and effective supplements to lecture-based physics play in student reasoning about quantum measurements: a key for match-

instruction at both the introductory and advanced levels. In our research ing eigenvalues, eigenstates and operators; a substitution of an eigenvalue and curriculum development efforts, we noticed that students were not for an operator; a generator of eigenvalues and eigenstates; an instruction for generating a transformed state; and a template for interpreting a mea-

completing some tutorials in the allotted time because they could not Monday night recall or re-derive prerequisite ideas, concepts, or formulas. We designed surement. We discuss how these roles may be leveraged to improve student “pre-tutorial homework” (assigned after the pre-test to complete and bring understanding and performance in quantum mechanics. to tutorial) to address this issue. We find the pre-tutorial homework to be effective for orienting students to the necessary prerequisite information PST1H14: 9:15-10 p.m. Discussion of Relativistic Kinetic and ideas, thus making the tutorial more time-efficient. We present the Energy Equation benefits of pre-tutorial homework in two cases: one in which a tutorial was modified after the first implementation to include a pre-tutorial home- Poster – Bharat L. Chaudhary, All India Radio, 11198 Gates Terrace, Johns work, and one in which a tutorial was initially designed with a pre-tutorial Creek, GA 30097; [email protected] homework. In physics, there are two formulas of kinetic energy, the first one is the clas- *Partially supported by NSF grant DUE-0817282. sical formula, the other is the relativistic. The classical formula obeys the work-energy conservation principle as it shows the kinetic energy exactly PST1H11: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Teaching New Tools to Majors: equal to the work done; but the relativistic formula doesn’t as it shows Computational Instruction in Upper Division Physics more kinetic energy than the work done. But, in both cases, the same force acts on the same body for the same distance and imparts the same Poster – Marcos D. Caballero, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309; speed--work done is the same. Hence, the same kinetic energy is delivered [email protected] to the body. According to the conservation principle, we should get the Benjamin Zwickl, Steven J. Pollock, University of Colorado Boulder same kinetic energy by both formulas. But, we don’t get it. Therefore, the relativistic kinetic energy formula is something more than the conservation Scientific programming is a key skill for our majors to develop in a of work energy principle. We get something for nothing! Therefore, it is research environment that relies increasingly on computational mod- necessary to reexamine the derivation of the relativistic equation of kinetic els and complex data analysis. Broad consensus of physics faculty at energy. CU-Boulder is that instruction in scientific programming should not be limited to a single course (i.e., a computational physics course), but rather be embedded in the major sequence. This sentiment is echoed by a survey PST1H15: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Newton’s Second Law for an of physics majors. At CU-Boulder, we have begun systematic instruction Electrically Charged Particle in scientific programming in our middle-division classical mechanics and Poster – Bharat L. Chaudhary, All India Radio, 11198 Gates Terrace ,Johns upper-division senior laboratory courses. We will outline our approach to Creek, GA 30097; [email protected] computational instruction in both courses, present materials developed to achieve our learning goals, present our preliminary observations of student Newton published his laws of motion in 1687. At that time the concept of challenges and students’ impressions of computation in these courses, and charged particles was not known. Electromagnetic laws were discovered outline research directions for systematic instruction in scientific program- later but no attempt was made to combine that law with the Newton’s ming. second law to obtain a general equation of motion applicable to both charged and uncharged particles. My attempt in this paper is to combine PST1H12: 9:15-10 p.m. Teaching Fourier Data Analysis and the two laws to get a modified Newton’s second law. According to Faraday’s law of electromagnetic induction, an opposing force is created when a Wavelet Data Analysis of Data Records Containing charged particle moves with an acceleration under the action of an applied Small Scale and Large Scale Features force. The opposing force increases with speed and the resultant force decreases. This results in decreasing acceleration with speed. The whole Poster – Joseph J. Trout, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, Galloway, thing is explained by combining both forces into one equation, “FORCE NJ 08205-9441; [email protected] minus back-emf-force equals mass times acceleration,” in place of, “Force Long-term temperature records contain small scale (short period) and equals mass times acceleration.” It applies to both charged and uncharged long scale (long period) features that are of interest in the study of weather particles at all speeds. and climate. On the small scale, an atmospheric front can be defined as sloping zones of pronounce transition of thermal and/or wind fields in the PST1H16: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Increased Half-life of Pions in Motion atmosphere. These fronts occur during changing weather. On the large scale, yearly oscillations and longer term trends are of interest in the study Poster – Bharat L. Chaudhary, All India Radio, Johns Creek, GA 30097; India of the climate. This study uses Fourier analysis to help students look at the [email protected] long-term trends in atmospheric data and uses Wavelet Analysis to teach Pions are radioactive charged particles. The half-life of pions in motion is students to analyze the short-term transition zones. longer than for pions at rest. This activity is explained on the basis of time dilation of special relativity. But, I have different ideas. They constitute a beam of parallel currents when in motion. This current has two effects.

July 28–August 1, 2012 83 One, as is well known, parallel currents attract each other. This attraction between the charged pions binds them together. This reduces the force causing their radioactive decay. Thus, increasing their half-life. The other reason is Faraday’s law of electromagnetic induction which opposes any change. As the pions in motion tend to decay, the current tends to reduce. AAPT Fun Run/Walk Faraday’s law tends to maintain the original value of current by prevent- ing their decay, thus increasing their half-life. Both reasons collectively increase the half-life of pions in motion. Source: “Introduction to Special Relativity,” by Robert Resnick, p. 75. Tuesday, July 31 • 7 - 8 a.m.

PST1H17: 8:30-9:15 p.m. Inconsistencies in the Equations of the Special Theory of Relativity

Poster – Bharat L. Chaudhary, All India Radio, 11198 Gates Terrace, Johns Creek, GA 30097; [email protected] In this paper, I discuss the inconsistencies in the four equations of the special theory of relativity, starting with the equation of variation of mass with velocity and working up to the equation of the applied force, the equation of acceleration and finally, the equation of relativistic kinetic energy. By examining these equations, we find that the mass of a moving body increases as gamma times of its rest mass, the relativistic magnitude of the applied force increases as the cube of gamma times the initial applied Monday night force, the magnitude of the acceleration decreases as the inverse of gamma cube even though the magnitude of the applied force increases. And at Join us for the 4th Annual AAPT Fun Run/Walk

last, we examine the relativistic equation of kinetic energy, which shows on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania more kinetic energy than the actual work done. It is to be noted that the relativistic kinetic energy equation leads to the mass energy relation mak- Begins at 31st and Walnut Street (Lower Level) ing it doubtful. Entrance to Penn Park. Water will be provided. (registration required)

American Association of Physics Teachers PHYSICSBOWL 2013 Enter your outstanding students in PHYSICSBOWL 2013 and receive recognition for your students, your school, and your teaching excellence.

To register and learn more visit us at www.aapt.org/Contests/physicsbowl.cfm Here’s how it works: Your students take a 40-question, 45-minute, multiple-choice test in April 2013 under your school’s supervision. Exam questions are based on topics and concepts covered in a typical high school physics course. Winners will be announced the first full week of May.

Session DA: International Perspec- Tuesday, July 31 tives on Laboratory Instruction Highlights Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom I Sponsor: Committee on Laboratories Co-Sponsor: Committee on International Physics Education REGISTRATION 7 a.m–4:30 p.m. HH - Reading Date: Tuesday, July 31 Fun Run/Walk 7–8 a.m. 31st and Walnut Time: 8:30–10:30 a.m. Exhibit Hall Opens 10 a.m.–4 p.m. HH - Hall of Presider: Steven Wonnell Flags/Bodek Lounge B&N NOOK Raffle 10:45 a.m. HH - Hall of Flags This invited and contributed session is on the role of laboratory experiments in the overall physics curriculum at the high school, college, and university levels. Insofar as it is possible, the emphasis PLENARy 11 a.m.–12 p.m. Inn at Penn - is on learning different national values, practices, and goals for Woodlands Ballroom the laboratory experience in the overall implicit and explicit J. Richard Gott —“Sizing Up the Universe” national curricular scheme.

DA01: 8:30-9 a.m. Novel Developments for Laboratory PLENARY 3:30–4:30 p.m. Inn at Penn - Woodlands instruction in the EU* Nima Arkani-Hamed —“Space-Time, Quantum

Invited – Wolfgang Grill, Institute of Experimental Physics II, University of Mechanics and the Large Hadron Collider” Leipzig, Linnestr. 5 Leipzig, 04103 Germany; [email protected] Albert Kamanyi, Institute of Experimental Physics II, University of Leipzig COMMERCIAL WORKSHOPS Due to efforts and regulations under way to unify higher education in the European Union, the curricula for physics studies have lately been altered CW01: Expert TA 12-1 p.m. Sheraton - Univ. Suite substantially. This has led to a reduction of the rather extensive instruc- CW02: Pearson 12:30-1:30 p.m. Inn at Penn - tion in dedicated laboratories and respective courses, traditionally featured Regents/St. Marks at the continental European universities. Some of the major changes are presented with examples from respective education programs in Germany CW03: Vernier 4:30–6:30 p.m. Inn at Penn - and neighboring countries. Also exemplified and demonstrated with experiments are our efforts to find new ways to introduce teaching by Regents/St. Marks suitable technological developments with the use of hands-on experiment supported lectures in courses. This is a supplement to otherwise special laboratories with permanently set up individual experiments as in the tra- COMMITTEE MEETINGS, 12–1:30 p.m. ditional introductory and advanced physics laboratory for students. These efforts concentrate on compact, laptop-operated universal electronic based –History and Philosophy IA - G7 signal generation and detection hard- and software, representing a down –Minorities in Physics IA - G16 to earth and low budget spin-off from equipment and software developed –International Physics Education HH - Golkin by us and installed in the Materials Science Laboratory of the International Space Station. The portable system is used with the appropriate software to –Science Education for the Public HH - Branchfeld perform experiments ranging from basic measurements (voltmeter, oscilloscope) to state-of-the-art studies (correlation based ultrasonic structural Afternoon Break 3–3:30 p.m. HH - Hall of Flags/Bodek health and load monitoring of aircrafts and civil structures). B&N NOOK Raffle 3:15 p.m. HH - Bodek Lounge *Support by ASI Analog Speed Instruments GmbH and within the project AISHAII of the European Commission under the European Union 7th Framework Programme (Aircraft Integrated Structural Health Assessment II, EU-FP7-CP212912) is gratefully COMMITTEE MEETINGS, 4:30–6 p.m. acknowledged. –Physics in Undergraduate Educ. IA - G01 DA02: 9-9:30 a.m. What Kelvin Started, We Continue – A UK –Interests of Senior Physicists IA - G16 Perspective on Laboratory Teaching –Apparatus HH - Class of 47 Invited – Peter H. Sneddon, University of Glasgow, Kelvin Building, Glasgow, –Physics in Pre-High School Educ. IA - G7 G12 8QQ, United Kingdom; [email protected] Teaching laboratories form a cornerstone of physics courses at all levels Philadelphia Trolley Tour 7:30–8:30 p.m. in the United Kingdom. The first was introduced by Lord Kelvin, in 1855, Starts at Houston Hall at the University of Glasgow. The AAPT has a published list of goals for laboratory teaching, and in the United Kingdom the professional body for the subject, the Institute of Physics, has similar clear aims. But whilst the AAPT Demo Show 9–10 p.m. professionals agree that laboratories are vital, what about the students who receive them? In this presentation, I will detail work that has been carried Inn at Penn - Woodlands Ballroom out over the last five years looking at the attitudes towards, and experiences of, laboratory learning of students at institutions throughout the United Kingdom. This study concluded that students found laboratories enjoyable Poster Session II 6–7:30 p.m. HH - Bistro and useful, playing a key role in improving their understanding of course material. It improved their confidence, and broadened their skills base. KEY: IA = Irvine Auditorium HH = Houston Hall CCH = Claudia Cohen Hall July 28–August 1, 2012 85 DA03: 9:30-10 a.m. First Year Experiments: Back to Thinking! as isolated elements with a lack of relationship of the vector properties not only of the physical variables, but also of the equations that relate these Invited – Saalih Allie, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7780, South variables and model motion. To explore understanding effects and the Africa; [email protected] conceptual versatility students develop through a lab environment, we Experimentation and deductive reasoning based on experimental data present an investigation to compare two Physics II groups, one of them lies at the heart of physics. Yet this aspect of physics is generally neglected under a traditional-base learning process in the classroom, and the other in in favor of covering theoretical topics in introductory physics courses. the physics lab instruction throughout a complete semester. The evaluation First-year physics students at the University of Cape Town come from a elements during the cognitive journey are similar for both groups. One of wide range of socio-economic backgrounds with the most disadvantaged the micro-curriculum differences is the use of material and equipment by being least likely to have had either hands-on experience with apparatus or the lab group in all of the sessions. The observations show that despite the exposure to teaching methods that included critical thinking. Traditional better results of the lab group (experiment group) in most of the tests, the cookbook laboratory experiments, while perhaps addressing the former, control group ended the semester with a better effective learning gaining. inhibit rather than encourage the latter, e.g. tasks are framed in a manner that encourages a world view based on authority rather than one that rewards exploration and original thinking. I will discuss attempts to ad- Session DB: Physics and Society dress this issue by reformulation of the traditional laboratory tasks in a way that removes the “authority” aspect and focuses on interpreting the data Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom II at hand. Sponsor: Committee on Science Education for the Public Date: Tuesday, July 31 Time: 8:30–10:30 a.m. DA04: 10-10:10 a.m. What Should Students Know Before using Physics Lab Equipment? Presider: Art Hobson

Contributed – Ann Schmiedekamp, Penn State University, Abington, 1600 Woodland Rd., Abington, PA 19001; [email protected] Hear ideas about educating public school and college students, Carl Schmiedekamp Penn State University, Abington and adults, about such physics-related social topics as energy Tim Harrison University of Bristol, Bristol, U.K. resources, environment, nuclear weapons, pseudoscience, the scientific process, and creating a healthier and more peaceful world. Pre-lab instruction to ensure good laboratory technique and proper usage of equipment is a common practice. Software to support pre-lab work was developed within Bristol ChemLabS, University of Bristol, UK, has been in DB01: 8:30-9 a.m. Teaching the Physics of Climate Change use for five years. Its impact has been recognized through a national award, Invited – Peter J. Collings, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA 19081; distribution of a resource to all UK secondary schools by the Royal Society [email protected] of Chemistry (in association with Pfizer) and the commercialization of elements through Foundation Chemistry LabSkills in use worldwide. The A general education course on the Earth’s climate and global warming must utilize concepts from atmospheric science, oceanography, and geolo-

Tuesday morning Tuesday UK’s Higher Education Academy is now funding a project to produce a software resource to support the transition between high school and first- gy, just to name a few disciplines. But basic physics principles are scattered

year undergraduate in the understanding of key lab skills in both physics throughout the discussion, and thus represent an interesting opportunity and biology. An international committee has identified key areas of pre-lab to teach physics to students who might never take an undergraduate phys- instruction in physics and seeks additional feedback. ics course but are motivated to learn about climate change. The range of physics that must be understood by the students is quite broad, but black- DA05: 10:10-10:20 a.m. Experimental Physics in an body radiation and molecular absorption are the most important. Such a course has been taught at Swarthmore College for the past three years. international High School in Spain

Contributed – Aurora Vicens, Agora Portals International School, Carretera DB02: 9-9:30 a.m. A Non-Scientists’ Course on Energy Use Vella Andratx s/n Calvià, (Mallorca), 07181 Spain; aurora.vicens@ and Production agoraportals.edu.es Invited – Gary Bernstein, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104; Traditionally, the laboratory experience for a science student in Spain is [email protected] relatively small. This presentation is about the design and implementation of an experimental curriculum in a new international school established in A general-education course on “Energy, Oil, and Global Warming” has Mallorca. Students come from different countries and academic, cultural, been part of Penn’s physics curriculum for the past five years. The course and language backgrounds and will continue their college educations in offers an opportunity to teach quantitative reasoning skills and many or outside Spain. The project involves looking at the Spanish science cur- fundamental physical concepts to non-scientists through applications that riculum and designing labs that fit in the curriculum and teach skills that are highly motivating to the students, while at the same time increasing eventually make good, independent experimentalists. The challenges and the competence of future leaders in issues of great import to society. I will joys of starting a science program with an experimental component are describe the structure and physics content of the course, which emphasizes discussed and evaluated. the production and consumption of energy, and relay lessons learned by a teacher who had no previous experience in the energy field. DA06: 10:20-10:30 a.m. Understanding Effects of Newtonian Physics Through a Lab-Traditional-based Instruction DB03: 9:30-9:40 a.m. Vermiculture in the Classroom Comparison Contributed – Frank Bellomo, St. Elizabeth High School, 1500 Cedar St., Wilmington, DE 19805; [email protected] Contributed – Sergio Flores, University of Juarez, 1424 Desierto Rico, El Paso, TX 79912; [email protected] With diminishing natural resources, there is a global challenge to feed an increasing population despite the depletion of our planet’s healthy soil. We Maria Dolores Gonzalez, Juan Ernesto Chavez, Sergio Miguel Terrazas, decided to embrace sustainable practices by using nature’s own principles. Juan Luna, University of Juarez In our classroom, students recycled their family’s garbage by composting The Physics II course is based on fundamental dynamics contents and is fruit and vegetable food scraps. They used vermiculture, raising earth- mandatory for all majors in the University of Juarez. Several investigations worms, to create living soil without chemical fertilizers. Along the way related to Newtonian physics conceptual learning have found important students explored the biology of earthworms, the chemistry of rotting understanding problems. The students in this course have to develop a food, and the physics of energy transfer. From sunlight to vegetation to functional understanding about concepts such as velocity, acceleration decomposition to digestion, students saw the regeneration of rich earth and Newton’s second law. In the best case, students learn these concepts to once again grow vegetables to nourish humans. The economics of the

86 project included free raw materials from kitchens and free labor from Scientific programming is an increasingly valuable skill for physi- earthworms to make high value compost. Students then found a market for cists, whether they’re writing simulations, exploring theoretical their composted soil and worms with local organic gardeners. models, or analyzing complex data. How and when should this training be incorporated into the curriculum? Can it help students DB06: 9:40-9:50 a.m. Nuclear Questions, Nuanced Answers understand physics better? Contributed – Kathryn K. Schaffer, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 112 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60603; [email protected] DC01: 8:30-9 a.m. Implementing and Assessing Real-world questions that students and citizens have about radiation and Computational Modeling in Large Introductory Physics nuclear technology (such as “is it safe for people to live near the damaged Courses* Fukushima reactors”?) often require surprisingly subtle scientific responses. I will describe an approach to teaching about nuclear technology Invited – Michael F. Schatz, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, GA 30308; mike.schatz@ that emphasizes messy and subtle questions, to encourage critical reflection physics.gatech.edu on science in context. Students are challenged to construct nuanced and Scott S. Douglas, Edwin F. Greco, Georgia Tech scientifically correct responses to common real-world questions. To do Marcos D. Caballero, University of Colorado, Boulder this, they must address: is the question answerable by science as phrased? Do differences in lay and technical use of vocabulary need to be resolved? Computation is a cornerstone of modern science and engineering; howev- Are there ways in which the answer might be “yes” and “no” at the same er, introductory STEM courses rarely embed computation into the curricu- time? Are there limitations to our knowledge, or aspects of the scientific lum. Since Summer 2006, computational modeling has been increasingly process that are important here? This approach engages students with the integrated into introductory engineering physics courses at Georgia Tech; complexities of science in context, while also addressing common miscon- currently, more than 1000 Georgia Tech students annually enroll in a large ceptions about radiation and nuclear physics. lecture introductory course that includes computation. Initially, student experiences with computational modeling were limited chiefly to the laboratory; more recently, students have begun to solve numerically homework DB07: 9:50-10 a.m. Integrating Sustainability Across the problems (delivered online via a standard course administration system) science Curriculum of Gustavus Adolphus College and to model real-world problems computationally in extra credit assign-

ments presented and peer-reviewed in video format. We will discuss some Tuesday morning Contributed – Charles F. Niederriter, Gustavus Adolphus College, Saint Peter, key issues associated with integrating computation into large-enrollment MN 56082; [email protected] introductory courses and describe our efforts to measure the impact of Amy Audette, Kevin Clark, Jeff Jeremiason, Colleen Jacks, Gustavus Adol- computational curricular materials on student learning. phus College *Supported by NSF DUE-0942076 and DUE-0618519 We live in an era when student interest in energy, sustainability, and the environment is increasing, as it becomes clear that our current production DC02: 9-9:30 a.m. Lowering the Barriers for Scientific and consumption of energy negatively impacts the environment and raises Computing a number of potentially significant challenges for the future. The primary goal of the CCLI project we undertook was to improve science education Invited – Larry Engelhardt, Francis Marion University, Florence, SC 29502; at Gustavus and other colleges across the country by taking advantage of [email protected] this trend. Integrating sustainability across the science curriculum is an Most physicists recognize the importance of scientific computing; and excellent way to educate students about this important area while teaching Fortran, C, Excel, Maple, and MATLAB have all been available for more quantitative skills and increasing interest and enthusiasm for science. We than 25 years. So why has the growth of computation in the undergradu- will report on two year’s work developing laboratory and classroom experi- ate physics curriculum been so slow in coming? We need--and I believe ences and discuss plans for future work. we finally HAVE--computational tools that offer more: tools that are open source (unlike Excel, Maple, and MATLAB); make programming as easy DB08: 10-10:10 a.m. Your Personal Contribution to Global as possible (unlike Fortran and C); and provide “sexy” interfaces. I will Warming: Calculating Your Carbon Footprint address these issues in three ways: (1) open source tools that can be used as a “black box,” without any programming whatsoever, for standard compu- Contributed – Barbara M. Hoeling, California State Polytechnic University, tational tasks; (2) using the Python programming language to make simple Pomona, Physics Dept., 3801 W. Temple Ave., Pomona, CA 91768; tasks truly simple; and (3) using Easy Java Simulations (EJS) to make [email protected] interactive computer simulations with minimal computer programming. For more information, see my contributions to the Open Source Physics Discussions of CO2 emissions and their effect on global warming are an important part of every course that covers topics related to energy and library at www.tinyurl.com/engelhardt-comp. the environment. However, the personal relevance of these issues and the impact of their own life style do not always become clear to students. In DC03: 9:30-10 a.m. Motivating Computational Physics our upper division general education course “Energy & Society,” we as- Education: Angry Birds and the Ising Model* sign students the project of calculating their personal carbon footprint by evaluating their household’s electricity and natural gas bills as well as their Invited – Wolfgang Christian, Davidson College, Davidson, NC 28035; gasoline consumption. We will present the results of these studies, together [email protected] with students’ comments and reactions. Computational physics has broad appeal since it is an effective way to develop problem solving skills and to become computer literate. Students themselves perceive that they are not well educated without a good under- Session DC: Teaching Scientific Pro- standing of a computer’s power and its limitations. However, a computa- gramming from Intro to Upper Level tional physics course must be flexible because students have different skills and varying levels of preparation. Some students write well; other students Physics have good graphical design skills; and other students have mathematical ability. In addition, students typically have professional goals other than Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom III physics graduate school. This paper describes a project-based course that Sponsor: Committee on Physics in Undergraduate Education meets these needs. Learning to develop a program that communicates an Date: Tuesday, July 31 idea, as well as learning syntax and numerical methods, is a goal of this Time: 8:30–10:30 a.m. course. The course material and numerous student projects are published Presider: Craig Wiegert in the OSP Collection on ComPADRE at: http://www.compadre.org/osp/. *Partial funding for this work was obtained through NSF grants DUE-0442581 and DUE-0937731.

July 28–August 1, 2012 87 DC04: 10-10:10 a.m. Computational Modeling as a Promoter DD01: 8:30-9 a.m. Teachers’ Roles in Expanding Physics of Cognitive Transfer: Pilot Study Participation Among Urban Students

Contributed – Scott S. Douglas, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA Invited – Angela M. Kelly, Stony Brook University, Life Sciences, Stony Brook, 30309; [email protected] NY 11794-5233; [email protected] Marcos D. Caballero, University of Colorado at Boulder The accessibility of secondary physics in U.S. urban school districts is a Michael F. Schatz, Georgia Institute of Technology complex issue. Many schools do not offer a physics option, and for those that do, access is often restricted by various school policies and priorities We describe a study of the role of computational modeling in recognizing that do not promote physics participation for all. Strategies to encourage underlying similarities in different problems, a process called cognitive physics participation for underrepresented students will be discussed, transfer. Previous studies have shown that this crucial process is highly based on current research and discussions with urban physics teachers. sensitive to context, suggestion, and familiarity with the subject matter. Other solutions will be explored regarding the preparation of pre-service We propose that courses emphasizing computational modeling, in which physics teachers for diverse settings, strengthening administrative commit- students repeatedly employ similar lines of code to model different physical ment to physics, and improving physics quality with limited resources. systems, foster a more generalized cognitive transfer ability. We performed a think-aloud study on several students (some from a course involving computational modeling, others from a traditional physics course), expos- DD02: 9-9:30 a.m. Building a Supportive, Differentiated ing them to ordered pairs of problems of varying degrees of separation in Environment with High Expectations specific details (molecular mechanics vs. projectile motion) and solution methods (numerical vs. analytical). With these data, we attempt to separate Invited – Karen King, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211; the influence of long-term instruction in computational modeling from the [email protected] immediate priming effect of solving computational problems, and relate As a founding physics teacher at a diverse urban high school with a great both to the promotion of cognitive transfer. range in student proficiency, I worked to help students achieve success by building a community with high expectations that employed a variety of DC05: 10:10-10:20 a.m. Teaching New Tools to Majors: differentiation techniques, accountability measures, and mentoring strategies. Formative assessments played a critical role in identifying student Computational Instruction in Upper Division Physics understanding, followed by differentiated options for students to re-learn Contributed – Marcos D. Caballero, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO material or to engage in more challenging content. Inquiry activities in 80309; [email protected] which students were expected to design parts or all of their investigation were also critical to addressing individual needs. Accountability for learn- Benjamin Zwickl, Steven J. Pollock, University of Colorado Boulder ing was encouraged through daily homework checks including a require- Scientific programming is a key skill for our majors to develop in a re- ment that incomplete work was finished after school; tutoring was manda- search environment that relies increasingly on computational models and tory for underperforming students; and student progress was monitored complex data analysis. Broad consensus of physics faculty at CU-Boulder in weekly teacher meetings. Most importantly, the supportive learning is that instruction in scientific programming should not be limited to a community celebrated student successes, offered leadership opportunities,

Tuesday morning Tuesday single course (i.e., a computational physics course), but rather be embed- and convinced students that we cared deeply about them. ded in the major sequence. This sentiment is echoed by a survey of physics

majors. At CU-Boulder, we have begun systematic instruction in scientific DD03: 9:30-10 a.m. The Role of Community and programming in our middle-division classical mechanics and upper- division senior laboratory courses. In this talk, we will briefly outline Professionalism in the Preparation of Physics Teachers our approach to computational instruction in both courses, present our for the Urban Learning Environment* preliminary observations of student challenges, and discuss our students’ Invited– Mel S. Sabella, Chicago State University, Chicago, IL 60628; impressions of computation in these courses. [email protected] Jennie Passehl, Perspectives High School of Technology DC06: 10:20-10:30 a.m. Advanced Lab Fourier Analysis and Wavelet Analysis Using Mathematica Kara Weisenburger, Harper High School Andrea G. Van Duzor, Chicago State University Contributed – Joseph J. Trout, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, 101 Vera King Farris Dr., Galloway, NJ 08205-9441; [email protected] The preparation of physics teachers is extremely complex and relies on the shared experiences of a variety of physics practitioners who understand This is an advanced lab to introduce data analysis using Fourier and wave- and embrace their roles in recruiting, preparing, and supporting future let analysis and to study the effects of “noise” in the signal. Sound record- teachers. University faculty, high school teachers, and pre-service teachers ings are made of tuning forks and voice recordings. Fourier and wavelet themselves all contribute to the development of teacher candidates and analysis of the recordings are made using Mathematica. Random noise is teacher education programs. It is only through an understanding of shared introduced and the analysis completed a second time. The noise is then responsibility that these practitioners can build structures in secondary filtered and the Fourier and wavelet analysis is completed a third time. education programs for effective preparation of teachers. Joint ownership of teacher education responsibilities and the emphasis on professionalism are especially important for those who will serve students in the urban Session DD: Preparing Teachers to community. In this talk we discuss specific components of the CSU Physics Serve Diverse Communities Teacher Preparation Program that we have implemented as a result of the National Science Foundation Noyce Program and the American Physi- Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom IV cal Society PhysTEC Program that we believe establish a community of Sponsor: Committee on Minorities in Physics individuals that co-contribute to preparing teachers for the urban learning Co-Sponsor: Committee on Teacher Preparation environment. Date: Tuesday, July 31 *Supported by the NSF (Grant 0833251) and the American Physical Society (Phys- Time: 8:30–10:10 a.m. TEC). Presider: Peter Muhoro DD04: 10-10:10 a.m. Why (And How) I Do What I Do

Contributed – Jonathan P. Smythe, 7035 Blair Rd., NW, Apt. 405, Washing- Students in high minority schools are less likely to have access to ton, DC 20012; [email protected] high-quality physics instruction. This session will explore issues, Coming from the diverse educational background of Peekskill High School needs, challenges, and successes in preparing physics teachers to and Cornell University, education has always been at the forefront of my serve diverse communities. 88 priorities. So it seems fitting that I would choose to become a teacher and (QMAT) we investigated several key student skills at the end of the first help improve the lives of many generations to come. Teaching in inner-city and second quarter. As the course focus varied from mathematical process- D.C. with some of the toughest students in the country was something I driven approaches in the context of the quantum wave-function to more did not see myself getting into. I will be discussing the paths that led me to concept-driven approaches in the context of quantum spin measurement, this career choice as well as this location. I’ll also discuss the pros and cons we observed some changes in student performance and attitude. We will of working in D.C. in an alternative high school as well as things I want to discuss the implications of this study for the order and selection of topics improve on and things I will take away from this year. in teaching undergraduate quantum courses.

Session DE: Upper Division DE04: 9-9:10 a.m. Active Engagement Materials for Nuclear & Particle Physics Courses Undergraduate Education Contributed – Jeff Loats, Metropolitan State College of Denver, Denver, CO Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom V 80217; [email protected] Date: Tuesday, July 31 Ken Krane, Oregon State University Time: 8:30–10:20 a.m. Cindy Schwarz, Vassar College Presider: TBA The past three decades of physics education research have seen the development of a rich variety of research-based instructional strategies that now permeate many introductory courses. Implementing these active-engage- DE01: 8:30-8:40 a.m. The Experiences of Women in Physics ment techniques in upper-division courses requires effort and is bolstered Education Research Graduate Programs by experience. This can impede instructors who might otherwise be eager to use these methods. This particular effort, funded by an NSF-TUES Contributed – Ramon S. Barthelemy, Western Michigan University, Kalama- grant1, aims to develop, test, and disseminate active-engagement materials zoo, MI 49009 ;[email protected] for nuclear and particle physics topics. We will present examples of the ma- Charles R. Henderson, Megan L. Grunert, Western Michigan University terials being developed, including: a) Conceptual discussion questions for

Though no direct research has documented the number of women in Phys- use with Peer Instruction; b) warm-up questions for use with Just in Time

ics Education Research (PER), studies have suggested the percentage of Teaching, c) “Back of the Envelope” estimation questions and small-group Tuesday morning women in PER is almost double that of physics overall.* This relative over- case studies that will incorporate use of nuclear and particle databases, as representation shows that PER may be a leader in recruiting and retaining well as d) conceptual exam questions. An associated poster will also be female graduate students. The study presented here seeks to understand the presented at the meeting. experiences of women graduate students in PER through in-depth open- 1. NSF award DUE-1044037 ended interviews. By understanding the positive aspects that draw a larger percentage of women to PER it may be possible to construct best practices DE05: 9:10-9:20 a.m. Eliciting Physics Faculty Expectations to make other areas of physics more amenable to students from all under- for Physics Majors represented groups. * Henderson C., Barthelemy R., Mestre J., Finkelstein N. (2011). Physics Education Contributed – Renee Michelle Goertzen, Florida International University, Research Funding Census. Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings. Miami, FL 33199; [email protected] Eric Brewe Florida, David Brookes, Laird Kramer, Florida International DE02: 8:40-8:50 a.m. Adding Distance Learning to an University advanced Undergraduate Physics Course As part of a project to investigate the goals physics faculty hold for physics majors, we have interviewed 17 physics faculty about what attitudes and Contributed – S. Clark Rowland, Andrews University, Berrien Springs, MI abilities they expect students to have developed by the time they graduate 49104; [email protected] with a bachelor’s degree from our institution. Our preliminary analysis Requests for advanced undergraduate physics courses from students who of the interviews suggests that some of these goals are both implicit and cannot attend classes on campus have motivated us to experiment with constructed in-the-moment in response to interview prompts. Under- various modes of distance learning. In the fall of 2010 our Theoretical standing the nature of physics faculty expectations will allow us to better Mechanics I course was taught using Adobe Connect. Use of a Hewlett assess whether students meet these expectations, as well as whether physics Packard TouchSmart 600 computer allowed me to write on the screen. programs standards adequately capture faculty goals. In the longer term, Each student used a laptop with camera and microphone. Lecture notes our goal is to investigate whether physics programs are providing sufficient were prepared in advance and appeared on the screen with a live picture opportunities for students to develop these desired attitudes and abilities. of each participant. Class participation was similar to usual classes without computers. In the fall of 2011 an agreeable time could not be found for this DE06: 9:20-9:30 a.m. Majoring in Physics or Astronomy? kind “online” class. To include a remote student asynchronously, a video of each class was made and uploaded to a server for subsequent viewing answer is in Students’ Past* and discussion by phone. Our experience using these technologies will be Contributed – Florin D. Lung, Department of Engineering and Science Educa- discussed. tion, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634; [email protected] Geoff Potvin, Department of Engineering and Science Education, Department DE03: 8:50-9 a.m. Active Engagement and Interactive of Mathematical Sciences, Clemson University Classroom Techniques in Reformed Upper-Division Philip M. Sadler, Gerhard Sonnert, Science Education Department, Harvard- Quantum Mechanics Courses Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

Contributed – Homeyra R. Sadaghiani, Cal Poly Pomona, 3801 West Temple While investigating the career options expressed by college students, Ave., Pomona, CA 91768; [email protected] among the ones who opted for physical sciences we discovered an interesting effect. Students born in the U.S. tended to be more associated with We have reformed an upper-division quantum mechanics course using astronomy, as opposed to foreign-born students, who are more associated principles of active engagement and interactive classroom techniques such to choosing physics instead of astronomy majors. This result is in line as peer discussion strategies. The teaching practices, learning goals, and with some previous survey data on physics and astronomy PhD recipients curricular materials were developed and adopted from research in physics reported by AIP in 2011. Starting from this finding, we further investigated education. Conceptual clicker questions, white-board problem solving other variables related to students’ cultural and scientific experiences that activities, research-based tutorials, and computer lab sessions were inte- are likely to differentiate between astronomy and physics majors. grated into a two-quarter sequence of a senior level quantum mechanics *This work was supported by NSF Award GSE 0624444. course at Cal Poly Pomona. Using Quantum Mechanics Assessment Tool

July 28–August 1, 2012 89 DE07: 9:30-9:40 a.m. Resources for Research-based interviewed that person to find out more about his/her work and how the instruction in Upper-Division Physics interviewee came to be in his/her current position. Students shared their insights with each other at the end of term during a round-table debrief- Contributed – Bethany R. Wilcox, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80302; ing session, and each student received copies of all reports. I present the [email protected] logistics involved in this project, share the results of its first implementa- Stephanie V. Chasteen, Marcos D. Caballero, Charles R. Baily, Benjamin tions, and offer advice and suggestions for anyone wanting to incorporate Zwickl, University of Colorado at Boulder something similar in their courses. The University of Colorado at Boulder is in the process of reforming five of its upper-division physics courses (Electricity & Magnetism 1&2, Quantum DE10: 10-10:10 a.m. Data Processing of the Frank-Hertz Mechanics 1, Classical Mechanics 1, and Optics & Modern Physics Lab) Experiment to incorporate active engagement and student centered pedagogies. Our research-based approach to course transformation is founded on (1) inves- Contributed – Yongkang Le, Fudan University No. 220, Handan Road Shang- tigations of student difficulties, (2) collaboration with faculty to establish hai, 200433 China; [email protected] consensus learning goals, (3) development of validated, subject specific Jianmin Yuan, Fudan University conceptual assessments, (4) and iterative design of curricular materials. We Frank-Hertz experiment is a widely employed teaching lab in modern have compiled online archives of these materials, representing a rich suite physics. The first excitation energy is evaluated from the peak intervals in of resources for instructional innovation across upper-division physics. In the I-V curve. Puzzling results come forth frequently: the peak interval this talk, we will overview these resources with particular emphasis on how increases monotonously with the acceleration voltage (VA) and the slope the reforms are tailored to each course. Our work also hints at the need for is temperature dependent, as the electrons contributing to the current have more unified reforms spanning multiple courses to provide a coherent ex- a specific energy distribution. Peaks in I-V curve occur when the current perience for physics majors as they progress through the physics sequence. decrease caused by electrons undergoing inelastic collision balances the increase of background current (IB) with increasing VA. The increase of IB DE08: 9:40-9:50 a.m. Teaching Modern Physics to increasing rate results in larger peak intervals at higher VA. Differentiation Mathematically Underprepared Students of the I-V curve will dramatically reduce the influence of IB variation on the evaluated results. This paper reports the realization of this approach Contributed – Deepthi Amarasuriya, Northwest College, Powell, WY 82435- and results obtained. Thus new insights into the classical FH experiment 1887; [email protected] will be further discussed. Many students take Modern Physics together with Differential Equations I, and Linear Algebra. As Modern Physics relies heavily on concepts and DE11: 10:10-10:20 a.m. New Way of Deriving Einstein’s Mass techniques covered in these math courses, it is challenging to teach the Energy Relation physics while students are struggling with the rudiments of the requisite mathematical background. I present some strategies I continue to imple- Contributed – Bharat L. Chaudhary, All India Radio, 11198 Gates Terrace, ment in my Modern Physics course that help me teach the material effec- Johns Creek, GA 30097; [email protected] tively while helping students build a strong mathematical foundation. Mass energy relation is the most important and most famous equation Tuesday morning Tuesday of the special theory of relativity. Every student of physics should know

DE09: 9:50-10 a.m. What it Means to Work as a Physicist its derivation and be able to derive it any time. The basic principle of its derivation is to find the work done by a force in displacing a body to some Contributed – Magdalen Normandeau, University of New Brunswick, Freder- distance. In textbooks, it is derived in one step by multiplying the force icton, NB E3B 5A3 Canada; [email protected] with the distance and integrating the expression from zero to the distance There is a big difference between undergraduate course work and the work travelled. The process becomes involved and complicated and difficult to done after graduation. To help our students choose the right post-bacca- follow and more difficult to remember. I have derived the equation in a laureate path, it is important that we help them understand this difference new and simple way in two steps. First, I find the expression of force by the and become aware of what it means to work as a physicist. To this end, I relativistic way and then multiply the expression of force with the distance included an interview-based project in two upper-level courses. As part of and integrate it from zero to the distance travelled. This two- step process is this project, each student investigated the work of a living physicist then easy to follow and remember.

IN B&KindleN NOO DK rawingDrawing Tuesday, July 31 Houston Hall - Hall of Flags THE 10:45 a.m. Houston Hall - Bodek Lounge 3:15 p.m. EXHIBIT (Must be present to win) Purchase tickets in advance HALL at Registration

90 crosses disciplines. Building interdisciplinary coherence requires attending Session DF: PER: Topical Understand- to these interdisciplinary issues, as part of both curriculum design and education research. ing Intro to Advanced *Supported by the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (DGE 0750616), NSF-TUES Location: Houston Hall - Class of 49 DUE 11-22818, and the HHMI NEXUS grant. Date: Tuesday, July 31 Time: 8:30–10:30 a.m. DF04: 9-9:10 a.m. Research on Students’ Reasoning About Presider: MacKenzie Stetzer interdisciplinarity*

Contributed – Benjamin Geller, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742; [email protected] DF01: 8:30-8:40 a.m. Do Students Read the Text? Analyzing Benjamin W. Dreyfus, Vashti Sawtelle, Chandra Turpen, Edward F. Redish, interactions with Online E-texts University of Maryland, College Park Contributed – Daniel T. Seaton, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cam- We present qualitative data of undergraduates describing the relationship bridge, MA 02139; [email protected] between scientific disciplines. Rather than viewing biology, chemistry, Yoav Bergner, Gerd Kortemeyer, Saif Rayyan, David E. Pritchard, Massachu- and physics as existing in disconnected silos, these students often describe setts Institute of Technology the relationships in a hierarchical or horizontal fashion. The hierarchical arrangements order the disciplines by degree of system complexity, or We analyze logged data of student interactions with supplemental e-texts by the scale used to examine a particular system. For example, a student in introductory physics courses at Michigan State University via LON- might view the full description of folded proteins at the top (biology), CAPA. The e-text contains standard text and some interactive content such chemical reactions involving proteins’ functions as chemistry, and motion as videos and simulations. Metrics include what fraction of students access of the protein’s individual atoms as foundational (physics). Other students the e-text, at what time with respect to academic deadlines, and for how describe a horizontal view of disciplinary boundaries, without a founda- long. Preliminary results show moderate usage peaks for each weekly as- tional bottom but maintaining overlapping realms of interest. Others want signment that decline to near-zero over the early part of the semester, with physics embedded in a context that positions its relationship to biology large constant peaks of activity in the approximately two days prior to all

via analogy. We examine evidence that students’ conceptions are unstable Tuesday morning examinations. We find that only a small minority of the students access the and context-dependent, and suspect that these conceptions are related to majority of the e-text; however we cannot measure reading of an assigned course messaging in a bidirectional manner. written textbook. We plan to investigate the e-text study habits of success- *Supported by the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (DGE 0750616), NSF-TUES ful students at MSU, MIT, and in our free online physics course (http:// DUE 11-22818, and the HHMI NEXUS grant. relate.mit.edu/physicscourse/). DF05: 9:10-9:20 a.m. Students’ Ideas in Upper-Level Thermal DF02: 8:40-8:50 a.m. Item Response Theory and Collabora- Physics tive Filtering: Is Your Course Unidimensional? Contributed – David E. Meltzer, Arizona State University, Mary Lou Fulton Contributed – Yoav Bergner, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cam- Teachers College, Mesa, AZ 85212; [email protected] bridge, MA 02139; [email protected] Repeated investigations have confirmed some consistent difficulties Stefan Droschler, Ostfalia & MIT among students in upper-level thermal physics courses. These difficul- Daniel Seaton, David E. Pritchard, Massachusetts Institute Technology ties include confusion regarding the state-function property of entropy, Gerd Kortemeyer, Michigan State University misinterpretations of the meaning of equilibrium in the context of available microstates, misunderstandings of free-expansion processes, and lack of Online homework is a natural way to assess what students know, but the clarity regarding ideal (“Carnot”) efficiency of heat engines. I will discuss questions themselves may not always fit the bill. Items may be flawed, too these difficulties and related student ideas in the context of development of hard or too easy, or they may measure abilities that are different from the research-based instructional materials. intended ones. Item response models not only measure student abilities independently of which subset of questions they answer, but these models also detect flaws in the questions. We demonstrate how collaborative DF06: 9:20-9:30 a.m. Student Difficulties Coping with filtering (used by Netflix to predict which movies you might like) can be Conflicting Ideas in Statistical Mechanics* used to analyze student response data, motivating and extending a class of item response models. Analysis shows that chemistry homework assigned Contributed – Trevor I. Smith, Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA 17013; using LON-CAPA at MSU has two-dimensional skill and discrimination, [email protected] whereas the Mechanics Baseline Test at MIT is unidimensional. John R. Thompson, Donald B. Mountcastle, University of Maine In statistical mechanics there are two quantities that directly relate to the DF03: 8:50-9 a.m. Research on Students’ Interdisciplinary probability that a system at a temperature fixed by a thermal reservoir has a reasoning About ATP* particular energy. The density of states function is related to the multiplicity of the system and indicates that occupation probability increases with Contributed – Benjamin W. Dreyfus, University of Maryland, College Park, energy. The Boltzmann factor is related to the multiplicity of the reservoir MD 20742-4111; [email protected] and indicates that occupation probability decreases with energy. This seems Benjamin D. Geller, Vashti Sawtelle, Chandra Turpen, Edward F. Redish, contradictory until one remembers that a complete probability distribution University of Maryland is determined by the total multiplicity of the system and its surroundings, requiring the product of these two functions. We present evidence from Students’ sometimes contradictory ideas about ATP (adenosine triphos- individual and group interviews that students knew how each of these phate) and the nature of chemical bonds have been studied in the biology functions relates to multiplicity but did not recognize the need to combine and chemistry education literature, but these topics are rarely part of the the two to characterize the physical scenario. introductory physics curriculum. We present qualitative data from an *Partially supported by NSF grant DUE-0817282. introductory physics course for undergraduate biology majors that seeks to build greater interdisciplinary coherence and therefore includes these topics. In these data, students grapple with the apparent contradiction DF07: 9:30-9:40 a.m. Comparing Student Conceptual Under- between the energy released when the phosphate bond in ATP is broken standing of Thermodynamics in Physics and Engineering* and the idea that an energy input is required to break a bond. We see that students’ perceptions of how each scientific discipline bounds the system Contributed – Jessica W. Clark, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469; of interest can influence how they justify their reasoning about a topic that [email protected]

July 28–August 1, 2012 91 Donald B. Mountcastle, John R. Thompson, University of Maine materials and view radiation as more of a process than a material. This talk will describe our efforts to identify and characterize students’ initial ideas Thermodynamics is a core part of curricula in physics and many engineer- about radiation in terms of the undifferentiated radiation view and quan- ing fields. Despite the apparent similarity in coverage, individual courses in tify student progress towards differentiation. We find that differentiating each discipline have distinct emphases and applications. Physics education fully and abandoning the view of “radiation as stuff” involves a long and researchers have identified student difficulties with concepts such as heat, challenging process that some students find difficult to complete. temperature, and entropy as well as with larger grain-sized ideas such *Supported by NSF DUE grant 0942699 as state variables, path-dependent processes, etc. Engineering education research has corroborated these findings and has identified additional difficulties unique to engineering contexts. We are beginning a project DF11: 10:10-10:20 a.m. Examining Student Use of Kirchhoff’s that provides an excellent opportunity for expanding the interdisciplinary rules in Basic Diode Circuits* research on conceptual understanding in thermodynamics. This project has two goals: first, determine the overlapping content and concepts across Contributed – David P. Smith, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195; the disciplines; second, compare conceptual understanding between these [email protected] groups using existing conceptual questions from PER and EER. We will Christos P. Papanikolaou, University of Athens present a review of PER and EER literature in thermodynamics and high- MacKenzie R. Stetzer, University of Maine light some concepts that we will investigate. *This project is partially supported by NSF grant DUE-0817282. The teaching and learning of electric circuits has been the topic of many investigations over a period of many years. The primary focus has been on simple dc circuits. As part of an ongoing, multi-institutional effort, we are DF08: 9:40-9:50 a.m. Instructor Expectations of Undergradu- extending the scope of this research by conducting an in-depth investiga- ate Students Entering Quantum Mechanics tion of student understanding of analog electronics. Some of this work has been carried out in the context of basic diode circuits, which are covered Contributed – Christopher A. Oakley, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA at both the introductory and upper-division levels. This overlap provides 30303; [email protected] a unique opportunity to examine the difficulties students experience John M. Aiken, Brian D. Thoms, Georgia State University when encountering the same content at different instructional levels. This Characterizing faculty expectations is important to produce a comprehen- presentation will highlight selected findings from the introductory course, sive understanding of what knowledge and skills students should acquire together with insights into how these results can inform the treatment of before and during a quantum mechanics course (QMC). We describe related content in upper-division courses. interviews conducted with faculty members in the Physics & Astronomy *This work has been supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Department of Georgia State University. These interviews probe faculty Grant No. DUE-0618185. members’ expectations of senior undergraduate students’ background in mathematics, physics, and quantum mechanics concepts before entering a DF12: 10:20-10:30 a.m. Student Evaluations of their Physics QMC. The interviews we conducted may provide students with a “map” for teachers: Bias, Pedagogy, and Culture areas that will help strengthen the knowledge and skills obtained in their

Tuesday morning Tuesday QMC. We will report on faculty members views on optimal preparation for Contributed – Geoff Potvin, Clemson University, M-13 Holtzendorff Hall, an undergraduate student entering a QMC and appropriate learning goals Clemson, SC 29634; [email protected]

for a student completing a QMC. Using data collected from a nationally representative sample of college freshmen (NSF Grant # 1036617), the evaluation of high school physics DF09: 9:50-10 a.m. Students’ Use of Resources in Under- teachers by their students is examined. Prior research in this area has found standing Solar Cells gender bias amongst (both male and female) students with respect to the gender of their teacher, so special attention is paid to gender and gender- Contributed – Alan J. Richards, Rutgers University Bedminster, NJ 07921; interaction effects. Pedagogical practices that may moderate students’ [email protected] evaluations are also considered. The implications of this research for our Eugenia Etkina, Rutgers University understanding of physics culture regarding students’ gendered expectations of teacher behavior and students’ choices toward their continued physics We use the framework of conceptual and epistemological resources to participation is discussed. investigate how students construct understanding of a complex modern physics topic that requires mastery of multiple concepts. We interviewed experts and novices about their understanding of the physics of solar cells, Session DG: Physics of and examined their responses for evidence of resources being activated. We used this information to create a unit discussing the physics of solar cells Entertainment at the advanced undergraduate level, which we then implemented. Based on the patterns in the interviews and student responses in the classroom Location: Sheraton - William Penn Suite during the unit we can hypothesize what ideas students draw on when they Sponsor: Committee on Physics in High Schools are trying to understand the complex physics involved in the functioning Co-Sponsor: Committee on Science Education for the Public of solar cells. Date: Tuesday, July 31 Time: 8:30–10:30 a.m. DF10: 10-10:10 a.m. The Undifferentiated View of Ionizing Presider: William Reitz radiation* From Hollywood’s big screen to TV’s small screen to the pan- Contributed – Andy Johnson, South Dakota Center for the Advancement of Math and Science Education, Spearfish, SD 57799-9005; andy.johnson@ orama of street performance, physics has been a part of daily bhsu.edu entertainment throughout history. How can we identify the Natalie Dekay, Rebecca Maidl, CAMSE physics behind the performance and use it in our classrooms? This invited and contributed session will investigate a wide spectrum The Radioactivity By Inquiry project (NSF DUE grant 0942699) is develop- of physics and entertainment. ing inquiry-based materials for teaching radiation literacy at the high school and college levels. Research by others—Eijkelhof, Millar & Gill, and Prather & Harrington—found that students initially do not distinguish DG01: 8:30-9 a.m. Physics Myth Busting between radiation and the radioactive source. The undifferentiated view is Invited – Martin J. Madsen, Wabash College, Crawfordsville, IN 47933; that radiation is “bad stuff,” that there is no difference between radiation [email protected] and radioactivity, and that radiation causes contamination. To understand radiation, students must distinguish between radiation and radioactive The popular Discovery Channel TV show “MythBusters” is a model for 92 what is essentially the scientific enterprise. I will describe my analysis of their methodology and how it compares to what we typically think of as Session DH: PER: Problem Solving I the scientific method. I modeled a physics course for non-science students, Location: CCH - Claudia Cohen Terrace a so-called “physics for poets” course, at Wabash College on the “Myth- Date: Tuesday, July 31 busters” method and engaged the students in doing real-world experiments Time: 8:30–10:20 a.m. to bust their own myths. I will describe how I taught the course and what I found through the experience. Presider: Eleanor Sayre DG02: 9-9:30 a.m. “The “Reality” of Science Reality Programs – Physics on TV! DH01: 8:30-8:40 a.m. Instructor’s Goals for Using Example Invited – David P. Maiullo, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8019; solutions in Introductory Physics [email protected] Contributed – William Mamudi, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI Programs on or about science fill networks such as Discovery Channel, 49008; [email protected] Science Channel, and National Geographic Channel. These programs are Charles Henderson, Western Michigan University more popular than ever, and the networks produce an ever more increasing variety of them. Exactly what is it like to be part of these productions and Shih-Yin Lin, Chandralekha Singh, University of Pittsburgh also the talking head on screen? How much influence does one have when Edit Yerushalmi, Weizmann Institute of Science part of these productions, especially in deciding how much of the “science” In light of recommendations from the literature for modeling expert-like will be explained or revealed to the viewing audience? I’ll explain the problem solving approaches, we investigated instructors’ goals for provid- “scientific” process behind the production of these programs and how real ing example solutions in introductory physics courses. Twenty-four gradu- science is sometimes subverted through both the entertainment decisions ate teaching assistants and 30 faculty were asked: 1) in a general context, and the editing. Examples of these decisions will be illustrated using clips to describe their main purposes for providing example solutions, and 2) of some of the shows in which I’ve participated. specifically, to identify their considerations when comparing three example

solutions that reflect different pedagogical views. Differences between the DG04: 9:30-9:40 a.m. Modeling Instruction Through Video faculty and TAs will be discussed in order to describe possible progression games of ideas throughout an instructor’s professional career. For example, faculty Tuesday morning explicitly emphasize the importance of developing expert-like problem Contributed – Igor V. Proleiko, McKinley Classical Leadership Academy, 2156 solving when discussing their goals in the general context. In contrast TAs Russell, St. Louis, MO 63104; [email protected] refer to the goal of developing expert-like problem solving mainly in an Julian K. Proleiko, School of Independent Thought implicit manner, when examining specific solutions, and emphasize other The Modeling approach to teaching is based on guided inquiry through values, such as helping students develop conceptual understanding, when a series of paradigm labs. In this project the labs are done inside a video asked explicitly on their purposes in the general context. game. The regular Modeling activities result in Constant Velocity Model, Constant Acceleration Model, Constant Force Model, and other models DH03: 8:40-8:50 a.m. Internet Coaches for Problem-Solving in commonly used in Modeling instruction. The method provides the stu- introductory Physics: Experimental Design dents with a motivation to explore the universe relevant to the activity they are engaging with while playing a game. Contributed – Leon Hsu, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455; [email protected] DG05: 9:40-9:50 a.m. Video Analysis of a Video Game Ken Heller, Qing Xu, University of Minnesota Contributed – Todd R. Leif, Cloud County Community College, Concordia, KS The Physics Education Group at the University of Minnesota has been 66901; [email protected] constructing web-based programs that can provide introductory physics My use of Video Analysis in the Two Year College Physics Classroom students with coaching in the use of an expert-like framework in solving and Laboratory has covered many topics and methods. In my talk I will problems. During the fall 2011 semester, the coaches were introduced demonstrate an analysis of the introductory round of Pac-man. Although into a large (200+ students) section of the introductory mechanics course my students never really played the game like I did, I will show how I used at the University of Minnesota to assess their educational impact. In this this retro video game to assist students understanding of kinematics in the talk, we discuss the design of this experiment, including the construction algebra based classroom/laboratory. If time permits I will show my latest of comparison groups, student reactions to the computer programs, and project as well. lessons learned. A companion presentation will discuss the status of the data analysis, including results obtained to date. This work was supported DG06: 9:50-10 a.m. Human Cannon Ball Physics by NSF DUE-0715615.

Contributed – Frank D. Lock, retired high school physics teacher, 4424 Sardis Rd., Gainesville, GA 30506; [email protected] DH04: 8:50-9 a.m. Internet Coaches for Problem-Solving in introductory Physics: Data Analysis* One of my former students, Shawn Marrin, is currently working in the Great Moscow Circus, touring Australia during 2012. One of his jobs Contributed – Qing Xu, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, 116 Church St. involves presenting a show as a Human Cannon Ball. This is obviously SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455; [email protected] applied physics and entertaining physics at its best. Shawn sent me a video Leon Hsu, Ken Heller, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities about his act, which will be shown as part of the presentation. Bijaya Aryal, University of Minnesota-Rochester The Physics Education Group at the University of Minnesota has been constructing web-based programs that can provide introductory physics students with coaching in the use of an expert-like framework in solving problems. During the fall 2011 semester, the coaches were introduced into a large (200+ students) section of the introductory mechanics course at the University of Minnesota to assess their educational impact. In this talk, we present the results of using a problem-solving rubric to analyze students’ solutions from problems on mid-semester quizzes and the final exam. The rubric evaluates a student’s problem-solving performance along five axes based on expert-novice problem solving research. *This work was supported by NSF DUE-0715615.

July 28–August 1, 2012 93 DH05: 9-9:10 a.m. Problem Solving Strategies: Effect of dents make observations, reason about phenomena, and draw conclusions. topic and Nature of Solutions* In certain situations, those expectations may be inconsistent with those of the physics community and lead to results that are inconsistent with the Contributed – Bashirah Ibrahim, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS body of knowledge in physics. We designed a new group problem-solving 66506-2601; [email protected] activity on damped harmonic motion that supports students in finding N. Sanjay Rebello, Kansas State University coherence between multiple representations through discussion of their known models and observations of an underdamped oscillating system. We compare students’ problem-solving strategies when completing tasks During the activity, students typically showed appropriate expectations with the same representational format across two topical areas, kinematics when finding coherence between symbolic, graphical, and qualitative and work. We individually interviewed 19 engineering students complet- representations, but showed inappropriate expectations about problem ing 10 tasks over three sessions. The tasks were structured in linguistic, solving. We will discuss how students’ expectations about the starting point graphical and symbolic forms requesting either qualitative or quantitative of physics problem solving affect their attempts to achieve coherence and solutions. The analysis focused on the characteristics (description versus draw conclusions. explanation) of the qualitative solution. We also compared the strategies used when attempting tasks asking for qualitative or quantitative solutions, with respect to the representational format. We found that the students DH09: 9:40-9:50 a.m. Students’ Use of Real-World Knowledge were inconsistent in their approach for interpreting the same representa- during Collaborative Physics Problem Solving tion across the two topical areas. The nature of the task’s solution does not seem to influence students’ strategy for tasks in the symbolic form, but it Contributed – Mathew A. Martinuk, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, seems to influence their strategy for kinematics tasks in a graphical form. BC, V5T1Z1 Canada; [email protected] *Supported in part by NSF grant 0816207. In this talk I will describe students’ use of their real-world knowledge and their epistemological framing during collaborative group recitation DH06: 9:10-9:20 a.m. Rigging Your Card Games – Differentiat- problems in an introductory algebra-based physics course for non-physics ing Expert From Novice majors. Analysis of 14 different student groups working on three different recitation problems reveals that: 1) Despite significant prompting within Contributed – Steven F. Wolf, Michigan State University, Lyman Briggs Col- the problems and support in lecture, over half of the groups do not make lege, East Lansing, MI 48824; [email protected] significant use of their real-world knowledge as a part of their solution to Daniel P. Dougherty, Gerd Kortemeyer, Lyman Briggs College the recitation problems. 2) Students that do make use of their real-world knowledge do so during conceptual discussion, but not during proce- We are re-examining the seminal paper by Chi et al., which firmly estab- dural discussion. Implications for instruction and future research will be lished the notion that novices categorize physics problems by “surface fea- discussed. tures” (e.g. “incline,” “pendulum,” “projectile motion,” ...), while experts use “deep structure” (e.g., “energy conservation,” “Newton 2,” ...). The paper has been cited over 3000 times in scholarly articles over a wide range of dis- DH10: 9:50-10 a.m. Studying Students’ Problem Solving ciplines. We replicated the experiment with an expert group and a novice skills in Algebra-based Introductory Physics Course

Tuesday morning Tuesday group, using a set of 50 problems. The expert-novice distinction between Contributed – Archana Dubey, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL sorters is highly sensitive to the choice of problems in the categorization 32816-2385; [email protected] set and we will discuss the features of the problems that do a good job of distinguishing expert from novice. Jacquelyn J. Chini, University of Central Florida Students in introductory physics courses have been often found to struggle DH07: 9:20-9:30 a.m. To Use or Not to Use Diagrams: The with problem-solving skills. This difficulty seems to stem not only from Effect of Drawing a Diagram in Solving Introductory their mathematical skills but also from the ability to comprehend and utilize physics concepts to solve problems. A main source of difficulty Physics Problems seems to be analytical reasoning! We can make our teaching more effective Contributed – Alexandru Maries, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA by studying students’ strengths and weaknesses to develop a comprehen- 15217; [email protected] sive teaching strategy that promotes better learning. Our study looked at students taking a second-semester studio mode algebra-based physics Chandralekha Singh, University of Pittsburgh course. This presentation will share data highlighting several important Drawing appropriate diagrams is a useful problem-solving heuristic that aspects of students’ understanding of physics concepts, mathematical skills can transform a given problem into a representation that is easier to exploit and problem solving strategies, and will compare students’ abilities to solve for solving it. A major focus while helping introductory physics students “condensed” problems versus more directed problems consisting of sub- learn problem solving is to help them appreciate that drawing diagrams parts. This information has implications about the possibility that students facilitates problem solution. We conducted an investigation in which 111 know the subject matter, but have difficulty synthesizing the information to students in an algebra-based introductory physics course were subjected get to the final answer. to two different interventions during recitation quizzes throughout the semester. They were either (1) asked to solve problems in which the DH11: 10-10:10 a.m. Identifying Similarities in Math and diagrams were drawn for them or (2) explicitly told to draw a diagram. A comparison group was not given any instruction regarding diagrams. We Physics Problem Solving developed a rubric to score the problem-solving performance of students Contributed – Dyan L. Jones, Mercyhurst University, Erie, PA 16546; in different intervention Groups. We present results for two problems in- [email protected] volving electric field and electric force. We also compare the performance of students in finding electric field to finding electric force in similar As part of a larger study of mathematics in physics problem solving, this situations both immediately after instruction in a quiz and a while after project was designed to examine how students are able to identify similari- instruction in a midterm exam. ties between purely mathematics and physics problems. Students were given a set of math problems and then physics problems, in succession. For each set, they were asked to group the problems based on similarities. The DH08: 9:30-9:40 a.m. Student Expectations in a Group results of this study indicate that students are able to detect nuances in the Problem Solving Activity purely mathematical problems that they may miss in an analogous physics problem, despite extensive prompting. This talk will present the larger set Contributed – Adam Kaczynski, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5709; of results from this study. [email protected] Michael C. Wittmann, University of Maine Students come to any physics course with expectations about the world and about science. Those expectations have an influence on the way that stu-

94 DH12: 10:10-10:20 a.m. Concrete vs. Abstract Problems: How DI03: 8:50-9 a.m. Interpreting Multi-Variable Expressions: Prior Knowledge Helps and Hinders Patterns in Student Reasoning

Contributed – Andrew F. Heckler, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH Contributed – Mila Kryjevskaia, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 43210; [email protected] 58108-6050; [email protected] Studies outside of physics education research have found that students tend It has been shown that students encounter significant reasoning difficul- to solve problems in concrete, familiar representations more accurately ties when interpreting and applying multi-variable expressions in many than in an abstract representation for relatively simple problems. First, contexts. For example, students often argue that, since the frequency of a we replicate this finding for some simple physics problems. However, we periodic wave is expressed in terms of wavelength and propagation speed, also find that when a specific problem commonly elicits prior knowledge the frequency must change when the speed changes. Similarly, many that is contrary to scientific knowledge, e.g. a scientific “misconception,” students think that the capacitance will always change if the potential dif- the concrete representation invokes incorrect answers more frequently ference between the capacitor’s plates is changed. In this investigation we than abstract representations. Second, we find that students with higher probed the extent to which students’ incorrect reasoning approaches could final course grades perform disproportionally better on abstract problems be altered by making explicit connections during instruction between the compared to concrete problems. Thus, from a psychometric perspective, treatments of multi-variable expressions in several contexts, such as waves abstract problems would be preferable over concrete because the former and electrostatics. We also examined students’ ability to transfer their is more efficient at discriminating between students. However, from a understanding between these contexts. pedagogical perspective, this study suggests that concrete problem representations are important for determining whether both high and low grade DI04: 9-9:10 a.m. Impact of Argumentation Scaffolds on students have overcome the relevant scientific misconceptions. Performance on Conceptual Physics Problems

Contributed – Carina M. Rebello, University of Missouri, MU Science Educa- Session DI: PER: Student Reasoning I tion Center, Columbia, MO 65211; [email protected] Location: Irvine Auditorium - Amado Recital Hall Research has shown that the inclusion of argumentation tasks can improve Date: Tuesday, July 31 students’ problem solving and reasoning skills. We investigate two forms of

Time: 8:30–10:30 a.m. scaffolds—one designed to facilitate construction of an argument and an- Tuesday morning other designed to facilitate evaluation of an argument. We integrated these Presider: Sissi Li scaffolds within physics problems, and assessed their impact on the argumentation quality and conceptual quality of students’ solutions to these problems. Results suggest that the use of argumentation scaffolds, rather DI01: 8:30-8:40 a.m. Knowledge Integration While Interacting than the mere use of an argumentation task, seemed to improve students’ with an Online Troubleshooting Activity: Methodology argumentation skills on these problems. We also found that for problems in both verbal and graphical representations, the use of argumentation Contributed – Menashe Puterkovski, Weizmann Institute of Science, Re- scaffolds with tasks that required students to evaluate an argument seemed hovot, 76100 Israel; [email protected] to improve the conceptual quality of students’ solutions to these problems. Esther Bagno, Edit Yerushalmi, Weizmann institute of Science A troubleshooting activity was carried out by an e-tutor in two steps. DI05: 9:10-9:20 a.m. Effect of Paper Color on Physics Exam First the student diagnoses a mistaken statement attributed to the virtual Performance student “Danny,” then the student compares his/her own diagnosis to an exemplary diagnosis provided by the e-tutor. These steps are based on Contributed – David R. Schmidt,* Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO three design principles: 1) Eliciting common misinterpretations. 2) Incor- 80401; [email protected] porating knowledge integration processes. 3) Inspiring a non-judgmental Todd G. Ruskell, Patrick B. Kohl, Colorado School of Mines argumentative environment. These activities aim to provide students with A substantial number of studies in the cognitive sciences have established ample opportunities to recognize, acknowledge, and attempt to resolve that color, acting as an environmental cue, can significantly affect subject conflicts between possible interpretations of scientific concepts and performance on a variety of tasks. However, there is a dearth of research principles. This talk will focus on the design of the artifacts implemented into how this phenomenon manifests itself in 1) the combined conceptual in these activities (mistaken statements and exemplary diagnoses) and the and computational field of physics and 2) the context of preparation (i.e. methodology used to explore the following questions: To what extent do where subjects prepare for relevant material prior to assessment as op- knowledge integration processes take place? How do students make use of posed to remaining ignorant of the tasks’ nature until immediately before the opportunities provided by the activity to negotiate and possibly elabo- assessment). Our experiment involves approximately 450 students in an rate alternative interpretations of physics concepts and principles? introductory E&M course in which the paper color used for examinations was varied. Analysis includes raw exam scores and differentiates between DI02: 8:40-8:50 a.m. Knowledge Integration While Interact- students’ multiple choice, written response, conceptual, and computational ing with an Online Troubleshooting Activity: Findings performance. Additionally, we report on the time students require to complete exams and their confidence levels prior to and immediately following Contributed – Edit Yerushalmi, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, assessment. 76100 Israel; [email protected] *Sponsor: Patrick B. Kohl Menashe Puterkovski, Esther Bagno, Weizmann Institute of Science A troubleshooting activity was carried out by an e-tutor in two steps. First DI06: 9:20-9:30 a.m. Language, Skills, and Mutual the student diagnoses a mistaken statement, then the student compares his understanding in Undergraduates Defining Threshold diagnosis to an exemplary diagnosis provided by the e-tutor. To examine whether and how the activity attains its objective—to engage students in a Contributed – Angela Little, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94703; process of clarifying and repairing the mistaken ideas underlying the mis- [email protected] taken statement, we studied the discourse between students working with An important part of physics disciplinary practice is the use of terminol- the e-tutor on a statement implying that because there is no current on an ogy. Scientists need to be able to identify vague or unscientific terms and open switch in a DC circuit, according to Ohm’s law the potential differ- meanings and refine them into clearly articulated ideas. This work is not ence is necessarily zero. We present an analysis showing how the activity done in isolation, but rather, members of the community must come triggered students to explicate multiple alternative interpretations of the together to decide on mutually agreed upon definitions. But how are principles and concepts involved and attempt to align conflicting interpre- words defined and mutual understanding achieved? What skills do physics tations. We discuss how successive amendations gradually culminated in students already have along these lines and what new skills must be sup- the elaboration of students’ understanding of these concepts. ported? And how does language itself support and constrain this work? July 28–August 1, 2012 95 This talk will focus on a study of undergraduate physics majors where gated why a student may use a symbolic form in one problem but may not small groups of three to four students are asked to categorize and define in different problems.1 Through clinical interviews with undergraduates in the physical phenomenon of threshold in an open-ended design task. We an introductory physics class, we investigate the dynamics of whether and will present skills we have identified as important to making definitions how students engage in symbolic forms-based reasoning. The interviews, and discuss ways that language plays an important role in this process. focused on quantitative physics problems and epistemological prompts, are coded for (1) symbolic forms use and (2) independent and explicit DI07: 9:30-9:40 a.m. Nesting as a Solution to the Multiple- evidence of certain epistemological stances. We argue that epistemological stances that value coherence between intuitive and formal ideas support occupancy Problem in Representations the use of symbolic forms-based reasoning. Contributed - Hunter G. Close, Texas State University-San Marcos, San 1. B. Sherin, Cognition and Instruction, 19(4), pp. 479-541 (2001). Marcos, TX 78666; [email protected] Eleanor W. Close, David Donnelly, Texas State University-San Marcos DI11: 10:10-10:20 a.m. Using Clause Topics to Assess When drawing and gesturing in physics, spatial dimensions on the writing students’ Reasoning While Comparing Problems surface or of the body are used temporarily to stand for physical quantities. Contributed – Frances A. Mateycik, Penn State Altoona, Altoona, PA 16602; Sometimes these quantities are literally spatial (the position of a particle), [email protected] and sometimes they are more abstract (e.g., velocity, time, electric field, complex amplitude of an energy eigenstate). Sometimes we need more Kendra E. Sheaffer, Penn State Altoona dimensions than are available to communicate a message or think through One of the major goals of teaching physics is to facilitate student learning a problem. When one spatial dimension is used to represent more than one of the deep principles and concepts, which can later be applied to novel physical quantity, the “multiple-occupancy problem” is created: How do problems. In this study we look at how students assess the importance of thinkers stay organized, keeping two (or more) separate meanings for one principles and concepts for problem solving. Students in an algebra-based spatial dimension in ways that these meanings can be used productively? physics course were asked to choose two problems from each of their We introduce the idea of “nested coordinates” in the spatial communica- homework assignments which they found to be most similar. The two tion and cognition of physics as a common way that thinkers deal with the problems selected were then explicitly compare and contracted in writing. multiple-occupancy problem. The written statements were then divided by clause topics and further categorized into levels of epistemic reasoning. This presentation is oriented DI08: 9:40-9:50 a.m. The Effect of Problem Format on to introduce the audience to the qualitative analysis used and provide some general trends that appear in our homework responses. students’ Answers* Contributed – Beth Thacker, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409; DI12: 10:20-10:30 a.m. Student Gestures About Directionality [email protected] in Projectile Motion Problems We report the results of two studies of the effect of problem format on students’ answers. In particular, we studied the ability of students to ex- Contributed – Evan Chase, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469; [email protected] Tuesday morning Tuesday plain their reasoning and demonstrate the use of a logical problem-solving process based on the physics principles they have learned. We analyzed Michael C. Wittmann, University of Maine

the structure of both the correct and incorrect answers. The same problem We are studying how students talk and gesture about physics problems written was written in multiple formats and administered as a quiz in the involving directionality. Students discussing physics use more than words large introductory physics sections in both the algebra-based and calculus- and equations; gestures are also a meaningful element of their communica- based classes. The formats included multiple choice only, multiple choice tion. We are investigating the extent to which modifications to a student’s and explain your reasoning, explain your reasoning only, ranking and gestures lead to changes in that student’s thinking. Data come from one- explaining your reasoning and multiple choice ranking with explain your on-one interviews about the sign and direction of velocity and acceleration reasoning, and a few others. We present the results. within a given coordinate system. Specific contexts are the ball toss without *This project is supported by the NIH grant 5RC1GM090897-02. air resistance and the interpretation of a differential equation describing the air resistance of falling objects. DI09: 9:50-10 a.m. Using Student Analogies to Investigate Conceptual Understanding Session DJ: Using Research-based Contributed – Alex M. Barr, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78759; [email protected] High School PER Curriculum in Student-generated analogies can provide useful insight into students’ con- Teacher Preparation ceptual understanding. I will describe an activity from a physical science class in which students generated their own analogies to illustrate Newton’s Location: Houston Hall - Golkin laws of motion. Student analogies for Newton’s third law indicate that Sponsor Committee on Teacher Preparation students tend to focus their attention either on the presence of two objects, Co-Sponsor: Committee on Physics in High Schools neglecting their interaction, or on the resulting dynamics of a single object. Date: Tuesday, July 31 This result will be illustrated through several student examples. I will also Time: 8:30–10:30 a.m. discuss the role of context for students who generated multiple analogies to Presider: Laird Kramer illustrate multiple concepts.

DI10: 10-10:10 a.m. When Do Students Use Symbolic Forms? DJ01: 8:30-9 a.m. PER + Experienced Physics Teacher = New Contributed – Eric Kuo, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 ideas! [email protected] Invited – Jon Anderson, Centennial High School, Circle Pines, MN 55014; Ayush Gupta, Andrew Elby, University of Maryland [email protected] Previous work has shown that students can combine physics equations More and more, PER drives professional development and teacher prepara- with conceptual understandings. For example, the “Base + Change sym- tion and informs those who participate in these endeavors. I will discuss bolic form” (1) can be used to interpret the equation v=v0+at conceptually what I have learned while implementing PER-based modeling curriculum as “the final value is the base value plus a change.” Although the use of symbolic forms has been well documented, these studies have not investi-

96 into my introductory physics courses after attending three-week modeling DJ03: 9:30-10 a.m. Investigative Science Learning Environ- instruction workshops at Florida International University in the summers ment as a Framework for Physics Teacher Preparation of 2009 and 2010. I will also discuss how PER-based ideas have influenced me in my role as a mentor to pre-service and new physics teachers. Invited – Robert C. Zisk, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901; This discussion will include what has worked, what hasn’t worked, what [email protected] mistakes I have made, and what temptations I have faced as an experienced Eugenia Etkina, Rutgers University physics teacher with an accumulation of curricular materials. Additionally, this talk will explore the role that mentors play in attracting new physics This talk will describe how Investigative Science Learning Environment teachers, in helping them through those critical first years, and in retaining (ISLE) serves as a framework for a physics teacher preparation program them in the profession. PER influences all of these roles. whose main goal is to help future teachers develop pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) in physics. Investigative Science Learning Environment is a guided-inquiry comprehensive learning system that engages students DJ02: 9-9:30 a.m. Impacting the Attitudes of Prospective in processes that mirror the practice of scientists constructing knowledge. teachers with Physics by Inquiry It is based on the theory of cognitive apprenticeship and formative assessment and relies heavily on multiple representations. These theoretical Invited – Beth A. Lindsey, Penn State Greater Allegheny, McKeesport, PA pillars can not only guide the development of physics curriculum but also 15132; [email protected] help develop cognitive skills. Pre-service teachers who learn PCK through Leonardo Hsu, University of Minnesota ISLE learn how to engage their students in the construction of knowledge Homeyra Sadaghiani, California State Polytechnic University while simultaneously acquiring science process abilities. They learn to scaffold and coach their students through continuous feedback and then slowly Jack W. Taylor, Baltimore City Community College remove the scaffolding. They also become acquainted with the wealth of Karen Cummings, Southern Connecticut State University knowledge developed in PER. Physics by Inquiry1 (PbI) is a research-validated curriculum designed to help current and prospective teachers (re)learn physics content as a DJ04: 10-10:30 a.m. Designing Modeling Instruction into process of inquiry. Its success at improving the conceptual understanding

Pre-service Teacher Preparation of physics students at all levels has been well-documented over the past 30

years. Recent results demonstrate that the Physics by Inquiry curriculum Invited – Eric Brewe, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199; Tuesday morning fulfills another important role in the preparation of future K-12 teachers [email protected] by improving their attitudes about science, as measured by the Colorado Laird H Kramer, Leanne Wells, Florida International University Learning Attitudes about Science Survey (CLASS).2 I will discuss results indicating that PbI is particularly successful at shifting prospective teach- As universities redesign and reorganize teacher preparation programs, ers toward more expert-like attitudes on areas of the CLASS dealing with they have the opportunity to build in reformed science courses. At Florida problem solving, despite the fact that the curriculum does not focus on International University the secondary teacher preparation programs were numerical problem solving in the traditional sense that students expect. reformulated in 2009. The redesigned program allows students to earn 1. L.C. McDermott and the Physics Education Group, Physics by Inquiry, Volumes I degrees in physics and become certified teachers upon graduation. The and II. (Wiley, Inc., New York, NY, 1996). experiences teachers have within their program of study greatly influ- 2. http://www.colorado.edu/sei/class/ ence initial teacher performance, thus we included a reformed physics pedagogy, Modeling Instruction, not only as a recommended introductory physics course but also as a summer methods and professional development experience. We report on both the coherence of the design of the curriculum and look to evidence of graduating teacher performance.

PLENARY: Sizing Up the Universe – J. Richard Gott Location: Inn at Penn – Woodlands Ballroom Date: Tuesday, July 31 Time: 11 a.m.–12 p.m. Presider: Gay Stewart

The Sun is so large that a million Earths could fit inside it, yet there are stars much larger than the Sun, and the distances between stars and galaxies are truly awesome. The large sizes encountered in astronomy are part of its fascination, but depicting them is perhaps astronomy’s greatest challenge. Professor Gott will tell about his Map of the Universe, which preserves shapes (as the Mercator map of the Earth does), but which allows him to plot everything from satellites in Earth orbit to the Moon and planets to distant stars and galaxies, out to the cosmic microwave J. Richard Gott background, the most distant thing we can see—all on a single map. The L.A. Times compared it to famous maps over the centuries, calling it “arguably the most mind-bending map to date.” Professor Gott will tell how he got in the 2012 Guinness Book of Records for measuring the “largest structure in the universe,” the Sloan Great Wall—1.37 billion light years long. He will show size comparisons and maps from his new National Geographic book Sizing Up the Universe, in collaboration with Professor Robert J. Vanderbei, answering such questions as, how big was Hurricane Katrina compared to the Great Red Spot (a centuries-old storm on Jupiter)? A series of size comparisons, each covering a scale a thousand times larger than the one before, will show everything from Buzz Aldrin’s footprint on the Moon, to asteroids, moons, planets, stars, black holes, and galaxies, ending with the first real picture of the entire visible universe.

Sizing Up the Universe: “A feast for the eyes, and a banquet for the mind.” –Neil deGrasse Tyson

–Professor Gott will be available for a book signing from 12:15–1:15 p.m.

July 28–August 1, 2012 97 CRKBRL 3: Crackerbarrel for Solo Session EA: The Coolest Experiment PERs You Teach (beyond the first year) Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom I Location: Sheraton – Ben Franklin Ballroom I Sponsor: Committee on Professional Concerns Sponsor Committee on Laboratories Co-Sponsor: Committee on Research in Physics Education Co-Sponsor: Committee on Apparatus Date: Tuesday, July 31 Date: Tuesday, July 31 Time: 12–1:30 p.m. Time: 1:30–1:50 p.m. Presider: Steve Maier Presider: Mark Masters Are you the only professional active in PER within your department? Are there only one or two colleagues in close proximity you EA01: 1:30-1:40 p.m. Undergraduate Electronics Laboratory can talk “PER shop” with? The membership of Solo PER is larger than you may think, and more diverse than most suspect. Join us with an Arduino Microcontroller for this crackerbarrel to connect with other Solo PER profession- Contributed – Herbert Jaeger, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056; jaegerh@ als and learn what is being done to help our/your endeavors. As muohio.edu in the past, bring questions, ideas, and professional concerns to Microcontrollers are found in cars, coffee makers, and alarm clocks, just to share. name a few. Recently several families of low-cost but powerful microcontrollers entered the stage, e.g. the PIC, Basic Stamp, and the Arduino. The Arduino drew our attention because of its open-source architecture and its ability to be used with Windows, MacOS, and Linux platforms. Program- CRKBRL 4: Common Core Framework ming the Arduino is quickly learned, even by students with no formal programming experience and instructors with an antiquated Fortran back- and Physics Standards for College ground. We have begun integrating the Arduino microcontroller into our sophomore electronic instrumentation laboratory course and use it along- Success side LabVIEW which has become a de-facto standard laboratory software. Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom II In this talk we introduce the Arduino prototyping platform and showcase Sponsor: Committee on Teacher Preparation its capabilities with example of exercises we perform in our electronics lab. Date: Tuesday, July 31 Time: 12–1:30 p.m. EA02: 1:40-1:50 p.m. Determination of Carrier Temperature Presider: Cathy Ezrailson from Junction Current Voltage Measurements

Contributed – Mohamed Hedi, Boukhatem Collège, de l’Outaouais 333 boul., Join this Crackerbarrel to discuss the Common Core and Physics de la Cité-des-Jeunes Gatineau, QC J8Y 6M4, Canada; a_boukhatem@ Standards for College Success. Discussion centers on the two-step yahoo.fr process to develop the Next Generation Science Standards for Mario El Tahchi, Lebanese University-Faculty of Sciences, Lebanon K-12. The NRC Framework presents a view of science as both a Pierre Mialhe, University of Perpignan, France body of knowledge and an evidence-based, model and theory- building enterprise that continually extends, refines, and revises The carrier temperature differs from the lattice temperature in operating silicon junctions. This paper describes a practical experiment that can be knowledge. The Physics Standards for College Success (see http:// performed by undergraduate students to introduce and understand the groups.physics.umn.edu/physed/Millikan.html) are based on concept of the carrier temperature or the kinetic temperature. An applica- learning research and what is truly essential for student success in tion is proposed, for the determination of the semiconductor energy gap at zero K temperature, Eg(0), from the analysis of the pn junction current-

Tuesday afternoon Tuesday higher education and in the workplace. voltage characteristic.

CRKBRL 5: YouTube Sharathon Session EB: Continuing Teacher Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom V Preparation: Inservice Professional Sponsor: Committee on Physics in High Schools Date: Tuesday, July 31 Development II Time: 12–1:30 p.m. Location: Sheraton – Ben Franklin Ballroom I Presider: Dean Baird Date: Tuesday, July 31 Time: 2–2:50 p.m. Share your favorite web video clip (10 minutes or less; shorter is better) and see clips others brought to share. Bring your clip on a Presider: Karen Williams projector-connectable device or thumbdrive. Show, tell, and share curriculum materials that correspond to the clip. Clips must be EB01: 2-2:10 p.m. Inservice Professional Development Using accessible to anyone via the Internet, such as clips posted to You- a Free Online Physics Course Tube. We’ll have a projector with a standard VGA connection and Contributed – David E. Pritchard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a computer with USB ports, but you’ll need to bring any dongles Cambridge, MA 01239; [email protected] your device might need. Saif Rayyan, Analia Barrantes, MIT Andrew Pawl, University of Wisconsin - Plattesville Raluca Teodorescu, George Washington University Our free online course (http://relate.mit.edu/physicscourse/) is designed for those with a good knowledge of high school Newtonian Mechanics. 98 MAPs pedagogy1,2,3 helps students improve their overview of the standard EB05: 2:40-2:50 p.m. “Matterpiece” Theater: Helping syllabus and their problem-solving skills. Learning modules with e-text, students Understand Phase Change animations, videos, and solved examples each have specific learning objectives. The level is flexible due to use of click to open clarifications Contributed – Meghan J. Westlander, North Carolina State University Riddick and example problems. Blocks of easy, medium, and MIT-level homework Hall, Rm 224A, 2401 Stinson Drive Raleigh, NC 27695 [email protected] problems offer an appropriate challenge for all. Certificates for CEUs will Inspired by Energy Theater, we created a theatrical classroom activity on be provided. A huge benefit of the course is that our course content, and molecular interactions during phase changes. Our goal was to help build many other problems and resources, are available for reuse or repurpose student understanding of macroscopic phase changes and the correspond- via the free open source LON-CAPA network. We thank Yoav Bergner, Ste- ing microscopic molecular behavior. We did this activity with elementary fan Dröschler, Sara Julin, Boris Korsunsky, Gerd Kortemeyer, and Daniel and middle school teachers during summer physics workshops, but it is Seaton for their help with this course. appropriate for a wide range of students. Teachers created and performed 1. “Modeling Applied to Problem Solving” AIP Conf. Proc. 1179, pp. 51-54 (2009). 2. short skits using the ball and spring model of matter to demonstrate mo- “Improved Student Performance in Electricity and Magnetism Following Prior MAPS lecular behavior during phase transitions. I will discuss our goals and how Instruction In Mechanics“ AIP Conf. Proc. 1289, pp. 273-276 (2010). we developed the activity. I will then talk about our experience conducting 3. “Toward an Integrated Online Learning Environment” AIP Conf. Proc. 1289, pp. the activity: observations of teachers creating skits, performances, and 321-324(2010). classroom discussions.

EB02: 2:10-2:20 p.m. PTRA ToPPS Project at NWOSU II Session EC: Faculty Peer Mentoring Contributed – Steven J. Maier, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Alva, OK 73717; [email protected] Location: Sheraton – Ben Franklin Ballroom II Sponsor: Committee on Women in Physics In the summer of 2012, the second PTRA ToPPS science institute for Okla- Date: Tuesday, July 31 homa middle school and high school teachers was hosted by Northwestern Time: 1:30–3 p.m. Oklahoma State University.1,2 This second institute picked up where the first institute left off, including activities investigating momentum, impulse and energy. In this presentation, a synopsis of the status of teaching physics Presider: Anne J. Cox in Oklahoma will be discussed as well as possible developments for the future of professional development in physics in Oklahoma. Also shared will be preliminary results of the institute’s effectiveness in building upon par- While mentoring often means a more experienced person advising ticipants’ content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, instructional someone with less experience, mutual (or peer) mentoring can be strategies, professional networking and resources to help their districts and as (or more) valuable. students in their classrooms. 1, www.nwosu.edu/ToPPS 2. Funding (2011 and 2012) made possible by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher EC01: 1:30-2 p.m. Mentoring Matters Education Improving Teacher Quality grant through professional development. Invited – Barbara Whitten, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO 80903; [email protected] EB03: 2:20-2:30 p.m. Ubiquitous Professional Development Cindy Blaha, Carleton College with the Global Physics Department Amy Bug, Swarthmore College Tuesday afternoon Contributed – John B. Burk, St. Andrew’s School, 623 Rosalia St. SE, Atlanta, Anne Cox, Eckerd College GA 30312; [email protected] Linda Fritz, Franklin and Marshall College Andy Rundquist, Hamline University We usually think of mentoring as a flow of information and advice from The Global Physics Department (GPD)* is a weekly online gathering of an older, more experienced mentor to a younger mentee. But it can also be college and high school physics teachers that has become a very convenient useful to have advice from peers. For the past four years, we—five senior and powerful form of professional development for physics teachers across women at liberal arts colleges—have participated in a horizontal mentoring the globe. Past meetings have included presentations from prominent sci- alliance that has given all of us important professional and personal sup- entists, textbook authors, and many experts in Physics Education Research. port. Our Alliance began as part of an NSF Advance project, the premise This presentation will outline the founding of the GPD, some highlights of which is that horizontal mentoring between individuals of similar from past meetings, and discuss current and future plans, including its rank, field, academic environment, and perhaps also matched by race and latest online coaching initiative, where physics teachers are able to submit gender, is a highly beneficial enterprise, particularly for underrepresented teaching videos to the group for substantial feedback from a large and and/or isolated groups within a profession. Our Alliance has been very diverse collection of physics teachers. successful primarily because it is a resonant phenomenon -- we feel that *http://globalphysicsdept.posterous.com/ the other members of the group “get it” (whatever the issue) right away because they’ve had similar experiences. We will discuss our experiences EB04: 2:30-2:40 p.m. Video Analysis for the Masses? and suggest ways similar Mentoring Alliances might be established and supported. Contributed – Jonathan C. Hall, Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, Erie, PA 16563 ;[email protected] EC02: 2-2:30 p.m. Research and Writing Groups Promote Paul G. Ashcraft, Penn State Erie, the Behrend College goal Setting and Faculty Success Teachers who already use video analysis are enthusiastic about its useful- Invited – Kimberly A. Shaw, Columbus State University, 4225 University Ave., ness in teaching physics. But for the masses of students to benefit, how Columbus, GA 31907; [email protected] can we encourage more teachers to incorporate video analysis into the curriculum? As part of an in-service training program for high school Amanda Rees, Columbus State University and middle school science teachers, participants were trained in the use of Faculty work is often challenging, by its very nature. At regional universi- video analysis, and the making of high speed and time-lapse videos. Their ties, faculty are often called upon to teach three or four classes a semester, feedback regarding video analysis, and barriers to its implementation, will perform a variety of service and committee work, as well as maintain a be presented. productive scholarly career. Further, there appears to be a trend toward increasing research expectations on faculty in recent years. Written expectations for successful job performance are often intentionally vague.

July 28–August 1, 2012 99 We will discuss the history and structure of a faculty peer mentoring Heath Kirkwood, San Diego State University group at a regional university. This group structured itself around research We are currently adapting the small enrollment, discussion and lab-based and writing goal-setting, both on a weekly and semester basis. Network- Physics and Everyday Thinking (PET) curriculum for large-enrollment ing and career coaching have also become regular discussion themes in classes populated mainly by prospective elementary teachers. The new cur- weekly meetings. Members and former members were surveyed regarding riculum is called Learning Physics (LEP). To maintain PET’s focus on some perceived benefits of this group, and themes that became apparent in that important practices of science, students spend approximately 50% of the analysis will be discussed. class time working in small groups, conducting simple experiments with hands-on materials, using computer simulations, and periodically sharing their predictions, observations and conclusions with the whole class via Session ED: Preparing Teachers to clicker questions or by e-mailing diagrams to the instructor. In this talk we Integrate Labs into Instruction will discuss some of the management and pedagogical challenges of doing this in a large enrollment setting, and will briefly describe how we are ad- Location: Sheraton – Ben Franklin Ballroom III dressing these challenges. Sponsor: Committee on Teacher Preparation *Supported by NSF grant 1044172. Co-Sponsor: Committee on Laboratories Date: Tuesday, July 31 Time: 1:30–3 p.m. Session EE: Antique Electrostatic Presider: Connie Wells Apparatus Location: Sheraton – Ben Franklin Ballroom IV This is an invited session addressing the training of teachers to Sponsor: Committee on Apparatus integrate laboratory work with instructional lessons in physics. Date: Tuesday, July 31 It includes data on the effectiveness of lab work when integrated Time: 1:30–3 p.m. with instruction, how these changes might be most effectively facilitated, and examples of how this integration is currently Presider: David Sturm working in classrooms.

ED01: 1:30-2 p.m. Learning Science Through the Practice of EE01: 1:30-2 p.m. Experience, Experiment, Entertainment: science Electrostatic Apparatus in the Age of Franklin

Invited – James Flakker, Governor Livingston High School, Berkeley Heights, Invited – Robert A. Morse, St. Albans School, Washington, DC 20016; NJ 07922; [email protected] [email protected] Traditional physics labs have been used as lecture demonstrations or with This talk will provide a look at the proliferating development of electri- the intent to verify ideas discussed in lectures. They can often be discon- cal apparatus both simple and complex which provided puzzles to solve nected with the student’s experiences. Inquiry methods such as Investiga- and the experiments to test the theories developed by the electricians of tive Science Learning Environment, ISLE (Etkina and Van Heuvelen, 2001, Franklin’s century. Hauksbee’s equipment for generating electrical effects 2007) provide us with an opportunity to make connections to students’ in vacuum was at the beginning of a long line of development of electrical prior knowledge while teaching the scientific abilities and promoting high equipment for study and parlor entertainments. The Leyden jar, the electric order thinking skills. We will discuss planning guided-inquiry based labs wheel, the electrophorus, the torsion balance, and a plethora of electrical that focus on learning science by practicing science in a cognitive appren- generators were available from various instrument makers. By the century’s ticeship model. Through examples we will focus on the instructor’s role in end George Adams’s 1799 “Essay on Electricity” offered nearly 100 pieces planning these labs as well as scaffolding student progress and assessment. of electrical apparatus and experiments employing them.

ED02: 2-2:30 p.m. Integrating Lab and Lecture in Graduate Tuesday afternoon Tuesday EE02: 2-2:30 p.m. 19th Century Electrostatics and 20th Physics Courses for Teachers Century “Modern Physics”

Invited – Dan L. MacIsaac, SUNY Buffalo State College, Buffalo, NY 14222; Invited – Thomas B. Greenslade, Jr., Kenyon College, Gambier, OH 43022; [email protected] [email protected] David S. Abbott, Kathleen A. Falconer, Luanna S. Gomez, SUNY Buffalo By the middle of the 19th century, the subject of electrostatics had become State College Physics quite static. Physics lecturers had a wide variety of standard demonstra- We describe graduate physics courses for physics teachers taught since tions on which to draw to show the various phenomena of static electricity. 2002 that blend lab and lecture and prepare teachers for doing the same in Many of these, such as the electrification of a student or the explosion of a their own instruction. The ASU Modeling Physics curriculum (Hestenes et mixture of hydrogen and oxygen, were exciting and, so to speak, electrify- al.), SDSU PET Curriculum (Goldberg et al.) and activities from Chabay ing. Others, such as the lighting up of eggs by connecting them across large and Sherwood are discussed, as is the use of RTOP to promote reflective potential differences, were illuminating, if not scientifically useful. Most teaching practice, the use and promotion of reflective writing (reading of these demonstrations have disappeared, but a certain set of demonstra- logs, learning commentaries, daily journals, limited and multiple drafted tions, involving both high voltages and high vacua, led to discoveries that lab reports), extended classroom discourse and course projects. We report form the basis of the New Physics at the beginning of the 20th century. pre- and post-course teacher conceptual learning and efficacy data, and describe ongoing research into the impact of these behaviors in the student EE03: 2:30-2:40 p.m. The Kelvin Water Dropper and learning of the teachers who took our graduate classes. Franklin’s Bells

ED03: 2:30-3 p.m. Lab Activities in Large Enrollment Course Contributed – Clifford L. Bettis, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 208 Jor- gensen Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588-0299; [email protected] for Prospective Teachers* I will show a Kelvin water dropper/Franklin’s bells apparatus and will il- Invited – Fred Goldberg, San Diego State University, CRMSE, San Diego, CA lustrate the principles involved with some demonstrations using equipment 92120; [email protected] that would have been familiar in the 18th and 19th centuries. Edward Price, California State University at San Marcos

100 EE04: 2:40-2:50 p.m. Under the Influence: A Rebuilt EF02: 1:40-1:50 p.m. Promoting Student Ownership of toepler-Holtz Learning with Computer Simulations

Contributed – David E. Sturm, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5709; Contributed - Noah S. Podolefsky, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO [email protected] 80309-0390; [email protected] This talk includes a discussion and display of a rebuilt early 20th-century Katherine K. Perkins, Emily B. Moore, Ariel Paul, University of Colorado Toepler-Holtz machine from the Department of Physics and Astronomy Computer simulations, when properly designed and facilitated, can at the University of Maine. Brief comments on the misnaming of these increase student agency and allow for more student autonomy than tradi- machines, with historical references are included. Notes will be offered on tional educational tools and activities. We consider agency and autonomy the common confusion of these devices with Wimshurst machines and key elements of ownership. In a qualitative study involving middle school how to tell them apart. It includes details of the substitute materials used in students using a PhET simulation, one class had five minutes of “free play” the repair, period accessories, and other capabilities of these once common before starting a guided-inquiry activity while another class had no free machines. play and began the worksheets immediately. We found qualitative differences between these classes, in particular the degree to which the teacher EE05: 2:50-3 p.m. Investigating Gravitational and facilitation was student-centered. Students in the “play” condition received less explicit direction from the teacher, supporting student autonomy. In Coulombian Forces Using an Electrostatic Pendulum the “no play” condition, the teacher was more directing, taking more con- Contributed – David Menard, Ecole Polytechnique Montreal, 2500 Chemin de trol over student activities and reducing student autonomy. We suggest that Polytechnique, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4 Canada; [email protected] “free play” can promote student ownership of the sim as a learning tool and allow teachers to facilitate a more student-centered classroom. Didier Robbes, Université de Caen Emmanuelle Jacqet, Université de Caen EF03: 1:50-2 p.m. Extending Modeling Instruction with Gilles Le Moroux, Rectorat de l’Académie de Caen Computational Modeling: A Pilot Study Zahed Bahna Sciencethic Contributed – John M. Aiken, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302; We report on a simple laboratory setup to be used at various stages across [email protected] a science curriculum. A double pendulum is made out of two polystyrene spheres coated with silver paint and attached to an insulating frame using John B. Burk, The Westminster Schools either nylon or conducting wires. The spheres are charged using vari- Marcos D. Caballero, University of Colorado Boulder ous dielectric rods, yielding to electrostatic forces. Their movement is Scott S. Douglas, Michael F. Schatz, Georgia Institute of Technology confined in a vertical plane using two guiding wires. The equilibrium angle between the two pendulums is read with an angle ruler fixed to the frame. We describe the implementation and assessment of computational model- Many problems can be addressed, such as the fundamental three-forces ing in a ninth-grade classroom in the context of the Arizona Modeling TM equilibrium (vertical weight, horizontal Coulomb force and wire reaction) Instruction physics curriculum. Using a high-level programming envi- and the demonstration of Coulomb’s law. The setup is useful in introducing ronment (VPython), students developed computational models to predict and mastering physics concepts from high school up to all levels of college the motion of objects under a variety of physical situations (e.g., constant net force), to simulate real world phenomenon (e.g., car crash), and to vi-

education. A series of experiments will be presented here, including the electrostatic carillon and electric field mapping using an electrometer. sualize abstract quantities (e.g., acceleration). Students were assessed via an assignment that included completing a computational model of a baseball’s Tuesday afternoon motion (a new scenario to the students), conceptual questions similar to Session EF: PER in the Pre-college those appearing on the Force Concept Inventory, and two essay questions, one asking students to extend their computational model with a drag force, Classroom the other querying their understanding of while loops. We will describe the common challenges students faced (programming and/or physics errors). Location: Houston Hall – Class of 49 We will also address student attitudes towards computation as a tool. Date: Tuesday, July 31 Time: 1:30–2:40 p.m. EF04: 2-2:10 p.m. Effects of Educational Games on Students’ academic Achievements in Science Classroom Presider: Eleanor Close Contributed – Hilal Co-kun, Erciyes University, School of Education, Kayseri, NA, 38038 Turkey; [email protected] EF01: 1:30-1:40 p.m. Determining the Effectiveness of PhET Bayram Akarsu, Erciyes University interactive Simulations as Homework Today, the importance of training all individuals equipped with inquiry is accepted by the authorities. In this respect, students’ classroom learning Contributed – Zach B. Armstrong, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, and everyday learning both facilitate their understanding and will make it CO 80639; [email protected] possible to teach students with inquiry ability and help them easily adapt Cynthia Galovich, Wendy K. Adams, University of Northern Colorado to a changing world. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the academic effect of educational games based on science stories in a seventh- The use of simulations to teach science has been shown to be successful grade elementary science class. In order to achieve that, an experimental in classrooms; however, to our knowledge the effectiveness of simulations study with pre-post tests was administered to an experimental group as homework has not been evaluated. This study compared the use of (N=15) and a control group (N=15) of middle school students. In conclu- simulations in class versus as homework in the instruction of introductory sion, results of the study were analyzed with SPPS 17.00 version software. high school physics. Three different simulation activities were examined, As a result of study, educational games with science stories revealed some covering content on states of matter, friction, electric charge, and electro- significant differences between each group. magnetic induction. Achievement for each activity was measured using pre- and post-tests. No other instruction was given to students between the pre- and post-tests. The initial findings indicate no significant difference EF05: 2:10-2:20 p.m. Student-Teacher Interactions for Bring- for post-test scores or gains between the in-class and homework groups. ing Out Student Ideas About Energy* However, a significant number of students in the homework group did not Contributed – Benedikt W. Harrer, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469; complete the activity. The prospects for using simulations as homework are [email protected] promising, but further research is needed on how to design and implement effective activities. Michael C. Wittmann, University of Maine Rachel E. Scherr, Seattle Pacific University July 28–August 1, 2012 101 Modern middle school science curricula use group activities to help EG01: 1:30-2 p.m. Methods of Supporting Student Learning in students express their thinking and enable them to work together like the Planetarium scientists. We are studying rural eighth-grade science classrooms using materials on energy. Even after spending several months with the same Invited – Julia D. Plummer, Pennsylvania State University, College of Educa- curriculum on other physics topics, students’ engagement in group activi- tion, University Park, PA 16802; [email protected] ties seems to be restricted to creating lists of words that are associated with Kim J. Small, Upper Dublin School District energy. Though research suggests that children have rich and potentially Learning is an active process in which incoming information is mediated valuable ideas about energy, our students don’t seem to spontaneously use by interaction with prior knowledge and beliefs of the learner. Learning and express their ideas in the classroom. Only within or after certain inter- is also shaped by characteristics of the learning environment (including actions with a teacher do students begin to explore and share these ideas. the teacher and peers). This talk presents an analysis of these factors that We present and characterize examples of student-teacher interactions re- influence learning outcomes from planetarium programs by drawing sulting in students’ deeper engagement with their ideas about energy. This on relevant literature about learning in formal environments (e.g. How preliminary analysis of video-recorded classroom dialog is a step toward People Learn, NRC, 1999), informal environments (e.g. Learning Sci- helping teachers improve their students’ learning about energy. ence in Informal Environments, NRC, 2009), and considering the role of *Supported in part by NSF DUE 0962805. spatial thinking and reasoning in the domain of astronomy (e.g. Learning to Think Spatially, NRC, 2006). To illustrate these ideas, we will present EF06: 2:20-2:30 p.m. Hands-on Activities and Computer a series of studies on what elementary students learn through participa- Visualizations for Teaching Middle School Astronomy tion in interactive planetarium programs. This will include discussion of instructional methods, such as kinesthetic engagement and methods of Contributed – Reni Roseman, Mercyhurst University, Erie, PA 16546; modeling scientific practices, and the affordances made possible by con- [email protected] necting planetarium visits to classroom instruction. Dyan L. Jones, Mercyhurst University This talk will describe the results of a research project involving middle EG02: 2-2:30 p.m. Active Learning in a Planetarium Setting school students (seventh grade) that examines how they learn about and understand astronomy. Both hands-on activities and computer visualiza- Invited – Stacy Palen, Weber State University, Ogden, UT 84404; spalen@ tions were used to specifically compare their understanding of moon weber.edu phases and eclipses. The pre-/post-test data and qualitative analysis of the Teaching astronomy in the planetarium has a number of challenges. From classroom discussions will be presented. too-comfortable seats to decreased lighting to the often unusual (and static) arrangement of the chairs, it can be difficult to bring the best of col- EF07: 2:30-2:40 p.m. Secondary Students Learn laborative, active learning into this space. Through 14 years of teaching as- superconductivity from Phenomenology tronomy in planetariums of various shapes and sizes, we have created some useful activities and strategies that overcome these difficulties and turn the Contributed – Alberto Stefanel, Research Unit in Physics Education, DCFA experience of class in the planetarium into an interactive free-for-all! of the University of Udine, Via Delle Scienze, 206 Udine, Italy; alberto. [email protected] EG03: 2:30-2:40 p.m. Head Mounted Displays in Deaf Science Marisa Michelini, Lorenzo Santi, Research Unit in Physics Education, DCFA Education of the University of Udine Contributed – Eric G. Hintz, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602; A research-based educational path on superconductivity was designed for [email protected] secondary school students, adopting an inquiry-based approach to the Michael Jones, Jeannette Lawler, Dale C. Rowe, Ron Proctor, Weber State phenomenology of Meissner effect. The perfect diamagnetic property of a University superconductor is correlated to the null resistivity through the recognition of the role of electromagnetic induction in the superconductive state. A Head mounted displays may remove a logistical barrier in science educa- qualitative introduction of the Cooper pairs formation and correlate gap in tion for deaf children—particularly in planetariums. Deaf children must superconductor energy levels is proposed to the students to interpret the split their visual attention between a signer and visual learning aids. This phenomenology. Research experimentation was carried out using tutorial becomes more difficult as the viewing area spans a wider range of the Tuesday afternoon Tuesday worksheet with Italian secondary school students to explore how it is pos- student’s field of view and is particularly difficult in a planetarium with

sible to introduce superconductivity using a phenomenological approach, viewing area that spans a hemisphere. Interpreters seated at the front of the students’ main difficulties and their typical learning paths. Data was the planetarium are inadequate because they do not move to follow the stu- collected from worksheets and questionnaires. The results are evidence that dents’ visual attention and must be lit. Displaying a video stream or record- students are able to describe the null B field and the null resistivity situa- ing of a signer in a head mounted display may allow students to attend to tion in a superconductor using different formal tools. verbal instruction wherever the student looks. We have built a prototype of such a system and are evaluating how to configure the video and hardware for optimal display of a signer using a head mounted display for children. Session EG: Using a Planetarium to Teach Astronomy Session EH: PER: Problem Solving II Location: Irvine Auditorium – Amado Recital Hall Location: Sheraton – Ben Franklin Ballroom V Sponsor: Committee on Space Science and Astronomy Date: Tuesday, July 31 Date: Tuesday, July 31 Time: 1:30–3 p.m. Time: 1:30–2:40 p.m. Presider: Amy Robertson Presider: Jeannette Lawler

Digital planetariums are a fairly new technology. Very little has EH01: 1:30-1:40 p.m. An Eye Tracking Analysis of Physics been published about effective educational practices using the representations immersive capabilities these systems provide. This session provides Contributed – Jennifer L. Docktor, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse, La a forum where contributors can share information about the Crosse, WI 54601; [email protected] methods they have found effective. We include those who use Jose Mestre, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign planetariums for formal class and laboratories as well as those Liz Gire, University of Memphis whose primary focus is fieldtrips and outreach. Sanjay Rebello, Kansas State University 102 One key aspect of solving physics problems is the ability to interpret that by improving the design of physics representation using computer and use multiple representations of information (e.g. words, equations, animation, we can change the physics rules activated by students solving pictures, diagrams, and graphs). In this talk, we describe a study that uses certain capacitor circuit problems. Interestingly, this improved design of eye-tracking technology to investigate how students view and comprehend the representation shares less surface feature similarity with the problem physics representations presented on a computer screen. We also discuss body when compared to the conventional representation and students are the implications of this research for the design of instructional examples observed to spend less time watching the improved design. and online learning materials. EH05: 2:10-2:20 p.m. Free Online Physics Course EH02: 1:40-1:50 p.m. Do “Eye Catching” Features in Physics Emphasizing Problem Solving Problems Influence Answer Choices?* Contributed – Saif Rayyan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cam- Contributed – Adrian Madsen, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS bridge, MA 02139; [email protected] 66506-2601; [email protected] Analia Barrantes, David E. Pritchard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Amy Rouinfar, Adam Larson, Lester Loschky, N. Sanjay Rebello, Kansas Andrew Pawl, University of Wisconsin - Platteville State University Raluca Teodorescu, The George Washington University It has been proposed that “eye catching” features in some physics problems, that are also plausible and relevant, automatically capture students’ atten- Our RELATE group is currently teaching an online course on Newtonian tion. Other less salient features have little opportunity to be considered. So, Mechanics (http://relate.mit.edu/physicscourse/). The course develops 1 students answer the problem based on the most perceptually salient ele- more expert-like problem solving skills using the MAPS Pedagogy, and ments of the problem (Heckler, 2011). To test this hypothesis we recorded includes hundreds of assessment questions, many based on results from eye movements of introductory physics students on a set of problems with physics education research. Open-source course content (modularized diagrams. Each diagram contained areas consistent with documented e-text, animations, videos, and solved examples) is divided into learn- novice-like answers and areas consistent with the scientifically correct an- ing modules that are mapped to a list of learning objectives. The course swer. We manipulated the luminance contrast of the diagrams to produce is hosted on the LONCAPA network (http://loncapa.org), and anyone in three versions of each diagram, which differed by the area with the highest the network can use our course content in their classes. We are currently level of perceptual salience. We discuss how the salience manipulations integrating IRT into this platform, enabling standardized assessment of are related to the correctness of answers and eye movements. These results student and class skill on a national standard that is independent of which allow us to understand how perceptual salience in a problem diagram problems students work. We thank Yoav Bergner, Stephan Dröschler, Sara influences student answer choice and attention. Julin, Boris Korsunsky, Gerd Kortemeyer, and Daniel Seaton for their *This work supported in part by NSF grant 1138697. significant contributions. 1. AIP Conf. Proc. 1179, pp. 51-54 (2009). EH03: 1:50-2 p.m. Exploring Representational Fluency with Eye-Tracking EH06: 2:20-2:30 p.m. Increasing Problem-Solving Skills in introductory High School Physics Contributed – Elizabeth Gire, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN 38152; Contributed – Sean J. Bentley, Adelphi University, Garden City, NY 11530;

[email protected] [email protected]

Jennifer L. Docktor, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse Tuesday afternoon Elizabeth de Freitas, Adelphi University N. Sanjay Rebello, Kansas State University The effects of project-based learning in an algebra-based Physics First Jose Mestre, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign course on students’ problem-solving abilities are explored. A problem- Representational fluency is the ability to competently use different repre- based exam for introductory physics was developed and used with a sentations of the same information, and is an important skill for solving previously established problem-solving rubric. The exam was adminis- physics problems. We use eye-tracking technology to explore how visual tered to freshmen physics classes at three high schools. One of the schools attention is related to representational fluency. We showed introduc- was using a heavily project-based curriculum, while the other two relied tory and graduate physics students two different representations (graph, primarily on traditional methods. Strong positive correlations in perfor- equation, or text) and asked them to judge whether the representations mance and the project-based curriculum were observed, though continued are consistent (could describe the same situation). We compare the gaze development of the study is ongoing to separate other factors and see if patterns of students who made correct judgements versus those who made causality exists. The initial data is being used to help refine the measure- incorrect judgements, and make comparisons across introductory and ment instrument and evaluate the curricular elements. graduate student groups. EH07: 2:30-2:40 p.m. Acquiring Mathematical Skills in EH04: 2-2:10 p.m. The Impact of Computer Animation Design Physics on Knowledge Activation During Problem Solving Contributed – Jing Wang, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY Contributed – Zhongzhou Chen, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 40475; [email protected] Urbana, IL 61801; [email protected] Jerry Cook, Eastern Kentucky University Gary Gladding, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Students’ entering mathematical skill level is usually considered one of the Instructors frequently observe that students often have significant difficulty best indicators of their success in introductory physics courses. A common activating relevant physics knowledge that they seemingly possess during expectation is that students who meet the prerequisite requirement will problem solving. We propose that at least part of the difficulty might be be well-prepared; however, this is rarely the case. In a recent study at the caused by the conventional graphical representation used in teaching these Department of Physics and Astronomy of Eastern Kentucky University, we concepts. Most conventional physics representations are developed under collected the students’ math diagnostic scores both in physics courses and the physical limits of pen and paper, and are not optimized to facilitate in an algebra course. Our results suggest that when students take physics, sense making among novices. When examined from a grounded cognition their math diagnostic scores improve significantly, even more so than perspective, some of these representations may interfere with students’ they do in a traditional mathematics course. As we recently changed math proper construction of conceptual understanding, thereby encouraging prerequisite, the data both before and after the change will be presented. shallow/rote learning of physics rules. Physics rules learned by rote require The talk will focus on the link between the course content and mathemati- a more precise matching of surface features to activate, and pose a higher cal skill improvement. The correlation between math scores and Force cognitive cost during implementation. In a clinical study, we demonstrated Concept Inventory will be discussed.

July 28–August 1, 2012 103 EH08: 2:40-2:50 p.m. Understanding Students’ Use of design principles: 1) We ensured that students were aware of the epistemic integration in Physics Problem Solving* purpose of each experiment. 2) We implemented ways for students to share their experimental ideas and results with each other. 3) To promote Contributed – Dehui Hu, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506- collaboration, experimentation activities were beyond the capability of any 2601; [email protected] individual student in the class. 4) We made experimentation a part of every N. Sanjay Rebello, Kansas State University aspect of the class, not just labs. I will present results that show that our implementation was successful and that students are displaying behavior Developing the skills to set up integrals is critical for students’ success in that suggests they are starting to think and act in ways that are analogous calculus-based physics. It requires a high level of understanding of both to those of practicing physicists. math and physics concepts. Previous studies have investigated students’ poor performance when solving integration problems in the context of electricity and magnetism. However, the reasons for students’ difficulties EI02: 2-2:30 p.m. ISLE of Change: Labs Before and After have not been explored in detail. We used the theoretical framework of Invited – Mikhail Kagan, Penn State Abington, Abington, PA 19001; mak411@ epistemic games to describe students’ use of integration in physics E&M psu.edu topics. We conducted eight interview sessions with 13 engineering students enrolled in a second-semester introductory calculus-based physics course. How much impact can switching to ISLE have? What if it is only one or We categorize the epistemic games played by the students and described two ISLE elements? As a theoretical physicist, I used to underestimate these games in terms of students’ moves and knowledge resources associ- the value of the lab component in my classes. Before learning about ISLE, ated with these moves. Finally, we discuss how our findings could be used I thought of a lab as a mere illustration for what had been learned in to explain why students encounter the difficulties they do. lectures. Now I consider Lab as an inalienable part of turning my students *This work supported in part by NSF grant 0816207. into scientists, which, to some extent, can drive the course. Starting with fall 2011, I have systematically implemented ISLE labs in my introductory calculus-based physics classes. The primary philosophical shift was toward EH09: 2:50-3 p.m. Assessing Student Understanding of (much) fewer instructions for students and more flexibility of their experi- integrals Using Correspondence Between mental process. From the very first lab I had noticed a dramatic change in representations pretty much every aspect of the lab, starting with the process itself to the style, clarity and quality of my students’ lab reports. Contributed – Joshua Von Korff, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506-2601; [email protected] EI03: 2:30-3 p.m. Using ISLE to Solve Experimental Problems N. Sanjay Rebello, Kansas State University Invited – Gorazd Planinsic, Faculty for Mathematics and Physics, University In traditional coursework, students’ problem-solving ability is often as- of Ljubljana Jadranska 19, Ljubljana, 1000 Slovenia; gorazd.planinsic@fmf. sessed solely on the basis of the correctness of their written equations or uni-lj.si their numerical answer. Reformed curricula frequently make use of more complex rubrics which may examine students’ use of diagrams, ability to Investigative Science Learning Environment (ISLE) provides a framework plan a solution before performing numerical calculations, or adherence to for construction of new knowledge and for applications of the developed a certain solution format. Students’ oral presentations provide us with a knowledge to experiment-based problem solving. This talk will focus on rich data set for assessing their understanding. One advantage of the oral the latter. An important aspect of using ISLE in problem solving is that presentation is that the creation of diagrams and graphs is synchronized students after observing a specific phenomenon need to propose multiple with spoken words, allowing us to closely examine the correspondences explanations, which they then try to rule out using testing experiments. between these representations. We will discuss a method of assessment that When searching for multiple explanations, students create links between makes use of these correspondences. This work supported in part by NSF different physics topics that promote a coherent understanding of the grant 0816207. subject, they become more aware of the technical aspects of the observations, they learn to be more patient and not jump to conclusions quickly. Creation of experiment-based ISLE problems is challenging as we need to Session EI: Using ISLE to Analyze find experiments that allow students to construct multiple explanations within the given curriculum domain. I will present examples of simple Simple Experiments experiments that work as successful ISLE problems at the introductory

Tuesday afternoon Tuesday physics level. Location: Sheraton – William Penn Suite Sponsor: Committee on Physics in Undergraduate Education Date: Tuesday, July 31 Session EJ: Two-Year Colleges Poster Time: 1:30–3 p.m. Session Presider: Eugenia Etkina Location: HH - Reading Room Alcove Date: Tuesday, July 31 One of the main goals of the ISLE philosophy is that the students Time: 1:30–3 p.m. engage in activities that mirror scientific practice. One of these activities is devising and testing multiple explanations of the same phenomenon. It is difficult to find simple experiments suitable for this approach. Presenters in this session will share their experience EJ01: 1:30-3 p.m. Lab Activities Developed at the IPLWC* in choosing and analyzing such experiments. Poster – Thomas L. O’Kuma, Lee College, Baytown, TX 77522-0818; EI01: 1:30-2 p.m. The Role of ISLE Labs in a Studio Physics [email protected] Classroom Dwain M. Desbien, Estrella Mountain Community College The Introductory Physics Laboratory Writing Conferences are a series Invited – David T. Brookes, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199; of working conferences to develop laboratory activities appropriate for [email protected] introductory physics labs at both the college and high school level. From At Florida International University we have successfully implemented the the two IPLWCs, a group of lab activities have been developed and tested at investigative science learning environment (ISLE) in a studio classroom both high schools and two-year colleges. These developed lab activities will for three years. Experimentation is the core of the ISLE philosophy, but be displayed with some developed lab activities available for comments. integrating labs into a student-centered studio classroom was a challenging task. In our implementation we paid attention to the following 104 These working conferences are part of the ATE Workshops for Physics The TYC Tandem meeting held at Ontario, CA, in conjunction with the Faculty project and are directed by Dwain Desbien. Winter 2012 AAPT Meeting was a successful endeavor for the nearly 70 *Sponsored in part by NSF DUE grant 1003633. participants who attended. One of the sessions presented was a video analysis session led by two veteran TYC Physics Instructors Robert Hobbs EJ02: 1:30-3 p.m. ATE Workshops for Physics Faculty - of Bellevue College and Todd Leif Cloud County Community College. This poster will highlight the information that was presented during the TYC year 2* Tandem meeting. Some history of video analysis in the physics classroom Poster – Thomas L. O’Kuma, Lee College, Baytown, TX 77522-0818; and a couple of the instructors interesting “laboratory experiences” will be [email protected] displayed. Dwain M. Desbien, Estrella Mountain Community College EJ07: 1:30-3 p.m. Using ISLE Labs in the Class The ATE Workshop for Physics Faculty project is a series of workshops and working conferences for two-year college and high school physics faculty. Poster – Mikhail Kagan, Penn State Abington, 1600 Woodland Rd., Abington, This poster will give information about the project with an emphasis on the PA 19001; [email protected] last year’s five workshops and conferences. Investigative Science Learning Environment (ISLE) is an inquiry-based Sponsored in part by NSF DUE 1003633 grant. teaching/learning approach developed by Etkina et al. Since fall 2011 I consistently implemented some of the ISLE techniques in my classes, mostly EJ03: 1:30-3 p.m. Managing a Dynamic SPS Chapter (at a in the labs and homeworks. In addition, I took two ISLE labs on Newton’s two-year college) laws and made them part of my class. In the current poster, I describe this two-hour class. At the end, I also share my experiences and observations Poster – Brooke Haag, Hartnell College, Salinas, CA 93901; bhaag@hartnell. and provide my students’ comments and writing samples. edu Jaime DeAnda, Jose Rico, Hartnell College The Hartnell College physics club has thrived as an SPS chapter at a two- year college for over 18 years through the efforts of several advisers and a number of enthusiastic students devoted to outreach. It has earned national recognition as well as a local reputation as one of the most dynamic and PLENARY: Space- longest-lived clubs on campus. With a focus on several specific goals including outreach, fundraising, and project construction, the club con- Time, Quantum sistently attracts a following of students led by a core of dedicated officers willing to expend the time and energy necessary for a robust program. Mechanics and In this poster, we present an overview of our outreach, fundraising, and project construction efforts. We also offer recommendations for guiding a the Large Hadron successful SPS chapter. Collider –

EJ05: 1:30-3 p.m. TYC Meeting: Clickers as an Integral Part Nima Arkani Hamed

of Your Course Tuesday afternoon Nima Arkani Hamed Location: Inn at Penn – Woodlands Poster – Michael C. Faleski, Delta College, University Center, MI 48710; Date: Tuesday, July 31 [email protected] Time: 3:30–4:30 p.m. There are many ways in which instructors can engage students in the classroom. The use of a personal response system (PRS), or clickers, is Presider: Gay Stewart becoming more prevalent at college campuses. Clickers can be used for a variety of activities such as simple attendance taking and answering questions about a topic in lecture. At this past winter’s TYC Tandem Meeting, Nima Arkani-Hamed is a theorist with wide- participants were engaged in a sample class as students learning about ideal ranging interests in fundamental physics, from gas processes and thermodynamics with PV diagrams. Participants not only used clickers to answer questions given to students in actual classes, quantum field theory and string theory to cosmol- but also discussed common student responses and places at which misun- ogy and collider physics. Formerly on the faculty derstandings occur. This poster will focus on the clicker techniques used at Berkeley and Harvard, he has been a professor in the sample class as well as providing results about the kinds of questions in the school of natural sciences at the Institute for asked. Advanced Study since 2008. He has taken a lead in proposing new physical theories that can be tested EJ06: 1:30-3 p.m. TYC Tandem Meeting Video Analysis at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Switzer- Workshop Review land.

Poster – Todd R. Leif, Cloud County Community College, Concordia, KS 66901; [email protected] Robert Hobbs, Bellevue College

July 28–August 1, 2012 105 ments to better understand the world of quarks and leptons. This presenta- Session EK: LHC Data for Physics tion will highlight some of the features of the 2012 Masterclass, and how high school teachers and students may become involved in this exciting Teachers and Students collaboration.* Location: CCH - Claudia Cohen Terrace *QuarkNet is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the US Depart- Sponsor: Committee on Physics in High Schools ment of Energy. Date: Tuesday, July 31 Time: 1:30–3 p.m. EK05: 2:50-3 p.m. Particle Physics Masterclass as a Context for Learning About NOS Presider: Kenneth Cecire Contributed – Michael J. Wadness, Medford High School/QuarkNet, Natick, MA 01760; [email protected] The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is running at the cutting edge This research addresses the question: Do secondary school science students of technology and discovery. LHC detector collaborations have attending the Particle Physics Masterclass change their view of the nature released data for educational use. Session participants will discuss of science (NOS)? The Particle Physics Masterclass is a national physics how this data is used effectively for students in schools and for outreach program run by QuarkNet, in which high school physics students gather at a local research institution for one day to learn about particle teacher professional development. physics and the scientific enterprise. Student activities include introductory lectures in particle physics, laboratory tours, analysis of actual data EK01: 1:30-2 p.m. Using Real LHC Data in the High School from CERN, and the discussion of their findings in a conference-like Classroom atmosphere. Although there are a number of outreach programs involving scientists in K-12 education, very few of them have been formally evalu- Invited – Michael Fetsko, Mills Godwin High School, Henrico, VA 23238; ated to determine if they provide adequate learning of NOS. Therefore, [email protected] the significance of this study is that it investigates the claim that science This is an exciting time in the study of particle physics, from the speedy outreach programs may be designed to address science literacy, specifically neutrinos to the search for the elusive Higgs Boson; it seems that particle as a context for explicit NOS instruction. physics is always in the news. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland, is at the focus of all of this research and you can involve your students in all of the excitement. This presentation will explain a variety of investigations that you can bring into your classroom using real particle physics data that has been released from the two big experiments at the LHC, ATLAS, and CMS. Through these investigations, your students will be able to examine real event displays, calculate invariant rest masses, create and analyze mass plots, and discover particle physics using the same G r e a t data that researchers all over the world are using.

EK02: 2-2:30 p.m. Understanding ScientificD iscovery through LHC Data B o o k Invited – Marjorie G. Bardeen, Fermilab, Batavia, IL 60555; mbardeen@fnal. gov Scientific discovery is a journey, not an event. The huge public interest generated by the Large Hadron Collider made us realize that we needed to Giveaway do more to help students grasp this important “enduring understanding.” A suite of activities based on real particle physics data provides teachers with

Tuesday afternoon Tuesday a unique opportunity to broaden a student’s frame of reference for science. Get your raffle ticket from the AAPT Students can learn how scientists discover new knowledge and how they booth and attend this popular event talk about their work. We’ll introduce activities that will be developed in more depth in subsequent talks and make an easy calculation of particle to claim your book. mass with LHC data, a protractor, and ruler.

EK03: 2:30-2:40 p.m. QuarkNet LHC Boot Camp: Immersion in Kickoff to New Orleans Particle Physics for Teachers AAPT Winter Meeting 2013 Beignets and coffee provided. Contributed – Deborah Roudebush, Oakton High School, Vienna, VA 22181 [email protected] The QuarkNet LHC Boot Camp is a unique one-week program in which teachers learn about particle physics and the Large Hadron Collider through immersion and inquiry. Participating teachers work in teams to Wednesday, August 1 understand real data from the CMS detector of the LHC at CERN. Guided by a set of milestones and staff facilitators, the teachers must decide what 10:30 - 11 a.m. the data means and how to analyze it. The process of understanding the data leads to professional growth in physics and in understanding teaching Houston Hall Registration Area and learning.

EK04: 2:40-2:50 p.m. The 2012 Particle Physics Masterclass

Contributed – Shane Wood, Irondale High School, Minneapolis, MN 55408; [email protected] The particle physics Masterclass is a program in which high school students analyze data from CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experi- 106 Poster Session 2: Students’ extended learning with online hints provided us deeper insights about how our tutorials facilitated their future learning and limitations of Location: Houston Hall – Bistro the tutorials. Date: Tuesday, July 31 *This work supported in part by NSF grant 0816207. Time: 6–7:30 p.m. PST2A05: 6-6:45 p.m. Modern Physics Labs Using Responsive Odd number poster authors should be present 6-6:45 p.m. Inquiry to Create Research Experiences Even number poster authors should be present 6:45-7:30 p.m. (Posters should be set up by 9 a.m. Tuesday and then taken down Poster – Benjamin L. Stottrup, Augsburg College, Minneapolis, MN 55454; [email protected] by 10 p.m. Tuesday) Ravi Tavakley, Augsburg College A - Physics Education Research Sarah B. McKagan, McKagan Enterprises Augsburg College offers a sophomore-level modern physics course with PST2A01: 6-6:45 p.m. A Physics Problem Genome Project associated lab. Traditionally this lab has been used to highlight the early development of quantum theory (photo-electric effect, Franck-Hertz, etc.). Poster – Andrew E. Pawl, University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Platteville, WI We will describe our redesign of this lab to create a semester-long respon- 53818; [email protected] sive inquiry research experience focused on nanotechnology, materials characterization tools, and biology as an inspiration for engineers. Students Online homework holds the promise of individualized tutoring. Before gain hands-on experience using scanning electron microscopes, atomic the promise can be realized, however, it is necessary to conduct empiri- force microscopes, as well as other sample preparation tools, and develop cal research on what problem sequences best engage students’ interest their own research projects using the equipment. A goal of the lab is to give and intellect in the online environment. To avoid bias in this research, it students an experience of what research is like and what a scientist does, in is necessary to employ randomized problem sequences. I have attempted order to improve their self-identity as scientists. The focus on contempo- this in a limited fashion in several courses over the past two years, and am rary skill building is intended to meet the changing demographics of our using the experience to set up a freely accessible physics problem server in student body (increased enrollment, interest in engineering, and first gen- the LON-CAPA network. Students can log in and choose a topic or theme. eration college students). Finally, we address the potential for implementa- The system then presents randomized sequences of related problems. The tion of this model at other institutions. students’ performance, comments, and timeline of interaction will be used to assess the effectiveness of the various sequences in promoting learning and engaging interest. The title of this presentation is an homage to the PST2A06: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Assessing the Impact of Responsive Music Genome Project’s “Pandora” website, which inspired the work. Inquiry Labs on Students’ Science Identities*

Poster – Sarah B. McKagan, McKagan Enterprises, 2436 S. Irving St., Se- PST2A02: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Assessing Student Self-Confidence attle, WA 98144; [email protected] with the CLASS Learning Attitudes Survey Benjamin L. Stottrup, Augsburg College

Poster – Andrew E. Pawl, University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Platteville, WI We assess the impact of a modern physics lab designed to introduce 53818; [email protected] students to contemporary tools of materials science and nanotechnology, Tuesday afternoon David E. Pritchard, MIT to help them develop scientific research skills, and to help them view themselves as scientists. One goal of our project is to determine if the valuable Administering the CLASS to students in the mainstream freshman me- experiences gained through undergraduate research can be re-enforced, chanics course at MIT yields significant negative shifts in all the categories supplemented, or extended to a broader student population through more related to problem solving and conceptual understanding. These shifts are traditional areas of the curriculum. Through interviews with students in consistent with the observations published by the creators of the CLASS. the modern physics lab and with students participating in undergraduate In the MIT sample, these shifts can be ascribed to five statements that research, we examine how attributes in the lab parallel those in undergrad- unambiguously assess student self-confidence. No substantial shift is uate research experiences. We assess the impact of labs and undergraduate observed in statements assessing students’ conception of what constitutes research experiences on students’ understanding of the process of science problem-solving expertise. By contrast, students enrolled in calculus-based and what a scientist does, and on their self-identities as scientists. We iden- introductory mechanics at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, a small tify general features of labs, research experiences, and other educational state engineering school, enter the course with significantly lower rates of environments that may impact student’s self-identities as scientists. expert-like responses in the non-self-confidence statements but similar *This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation levels of self-confidence, and leave the course without a significant shift under Grant No. 0837182. in either category of statements. Substantial remediation of the drop in MIT student self-confidence statements has been achieved by a three-week ReView course employing Modeling Applied to Problem Solving (MAPS) PST2A07: 6-6:45 p.m. Defining “Research Validation” for PER pedagogy. Users and Researchers*

Poster – Sarah B. McKagan, McKagan Enterprises, 2436 S. Irving St., Se- PST2A03: 6-6:45 p.m. Assessing Students’ Transfer of attle, WA 98144; [email protected] Learning Using Paper and Computer-Based Tests* Amy D. Robertson, Seattle Pacific University Poster – Dehui Hu, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506-2601; The PER User’s Guide (http://perusersguide.org), a website to help physics [email protected] instructors apply the results of physics education research (PER) in their N. Sanjay Rebello, Kansas State University classrooms, includes guides to over 50 PER-based teaching methods. We are developing summaries of the “research validation” behind each of We have developed research-based tutorials to facilitate students’ applica- these methods. However, there is no consensus in the PER community tion of the integral concept in a physics context. To assess students’ transfer about what this term means. There are many challenges and critiques of of learning, we combine paper-based tests and computer-based tests. Our even the most commonly cited definitions of “research validation,” and no assessment is based on the theoretical perspective of transfer as seques- definition seems appropriate to every context. In this interactive poster, we tered problem solving (SPS) or preparation for future learning (PFL). We will present some common definitions, along with challenges, critiques, investigate students’ ability to solve a paper-based test without assistance, requirements, and contexts in which each definition may or may not be but also probe their ability to learn to solve the task with a series of online appropriate. We will solicit feedback, definitions, and concerns from the hints that target the major concepts introduced in the tutorials. Given community. that the transfer task is a challenging physics problem, the majority of *This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation students did not solve the transfer task successfully on the paper-based test. under Grant No. 0840853. July 28–August 1, 2012 107 PST2A08: 6:45-7:30 p.m. How Energy Theater Supports With the help of an NSF CCLI grant, introductory laboratories at the Uni- Participants in Accounting for Energy* versity of North Dakota were changed over to a problem-solving format. The laboratory periods focus more closely on problem-solving method, Poster – Sarah B. McKagan, McKagan Enterprises, 2436 S. Irving St., Se- as do the classroom presentations. This has prompted us to develop a attle, WA 98144; [email protected] new way of assessing student learning in the laboratories. This assess- Abigail R. Daane, Amy D. Robertson, Rachel E. Scherr, Seattle Pacific ment is based not on learned content but on learning of a problem-solving University process within the cognitive apprenticeship paradigm. The instrument we have developed focuses on the first three steps of the Minnesota five-step Energy Theater is an embodied learning activity in which participants act problem-solving scheme. We attempt to measure the degree to which the out energy transfers and transformations with their bodies. We have ob- importance a student assigns to certain bits of information or cognitive served that participants in Energy Theater are often surprised by scenarios resources matches the importance attached to the same items by several ex- in which large quantities of energy are transformed from kinetic to ther- pert problem solvers. Scoring is based on the closeness of fit to the expert mal. This surprise appears to be a result of an expectation that a quantity responses. We present a description of the instrument and data analysis. of energy should be equally “perceptible” in different forms, an expectation that is violated when easily visible kinetic energy transforms into imper- ceptible thermal energy. We claim that Energy Theater enforces energy PST2A13: 6-6:45 p.m. Canned or Live? Investigating the conservation in a way that pushes participants to recognize the presence Effectiveness of Taped Demonstrations of forms of energy that they do not expect, and to adjust their models of scenarios to take into account counterintuitive phenomena. Poster – Lisa Carpenter,* University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405; *This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation [email protected] under Grant No. 0822342. Kelvin Chu, University of Vermont Kevork Spartalian, University of Vermont PST2A09: 6-6:45 p.m. A Refined Pintrich SRL Model for Demonstrations on a variety of topics in introductory physics were shown Micro-Analysing Learning and Mentoring to classrooms of high school students. Some classes were shown live demonstrations with the demonstration apparatus present, while others Poster – Zvika Arica, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel 76000; were shown taped demonstrations using the same apparatus. Students [email protected] were given a pre-assessment to determine their prior knowledge of each Bat-Sheva Eylon, Weizmann Institute of Science topic. Students were then engaged in the Interactive Lecture Demonstra- “Physics & Industry” is a two-year Project-Based Learning program in tion (ILD) format, which required them to form and discuss predictions which high-achieving 11th grade student pairs are tutored by expert phys- about each demonstration. A post-assessment was administered to assess ics teachers and high-tech engineers. The project focuses on an authentic knowledge gained. Post assessment questions were repeated at the end technological problem and the design of a functional artifact. During the of the school year in order to determine long-term gains. The data and past six years we have implemented the program with under-achieving analysis we present reflect the efficacy of ILDs in the classroom both with students. We aimed to promote their physics knowledge, learning skills, and without demonstration apparatus. self-efficacy, self-regulation skills and creativity. To attain these goals, the *Sponsor: Kelvin Chu instructional model provided a supportive environment encouraging the students to progress independently as far as possible. Initially, the Pintrich PST2A14: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Extending Modeling Instruction with SRL model (Pintrich, 2000) was used to analyze interactions between Computational Modeling: A Pilot Study students and mentors and amongst student themselves. However, since our research required deeper insights, we added a refined encoding of students’ Poster – John M. Aiken, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302-3965; and mentors’ discourse and actions. Using this encoding in a micro-analy- [email protected] sis of extensive video and audio recordings facilitated the characterization John B. Burk, The Westminster Schools of students’ and mentors’ behavior patterns. Scott S. Douglas, Michael F. Schatz, Georgia Institute of Technology PST2A10: 6:45-7:30 p.m. An Examination of Expert/Novice Marcos D. Caballero, University of Colorado Boulder Positional Identities in the Disciplines* We describe the implementation and assessment of computational model- Tuesday afternoon Tuesday ing in a ninth-grade classroom in the context of the Arizona Modeling Poster – Vashti Sawtelle, University of Maryland, Physics Building, College TM Instruction physics curriculum. Using a high-level programming envi- Park, MD 20742; [email protected] ronment (VPython), students developed computational models to predict Chandra Turpen, Edward F. Redish, University of Maryland, College Park the motion of objects under a variety of physical situations (e.g., constant net force), to simulate real world phenomenon (e.g., car crash), and to vi- We present a qualitative analysis of a group of students working through a sualize abstract quantities (e.g., acceleration). Students were assessed via an task designed to build connections between biology, chemistry, and phys- assignment that included completing a computational model of a baseball’s ics. During the discussion members of the group explicitly index some of motion (a new scenario to the students), conceptual questions similar to the ideas being presented as coming from “chemistry” and from “physics.” those appearing on the Force Concept Inventory, and two essay questions, While there is evidence that students seek coherence between outside one asking students to extend their computational model with a drag knowledge and in-class knowledge, there is little evidence of reasoning force, the other querying their understanding of while loops. This poster with one another’s ideas, resulting in a lack of reconciliation. In this poster describes the common challenges students faced (programming and/or we present evidence that the difficulty students face in trying to reconcile physics errors). It will also address student attitudes towards computation each other’s ideas can be understood through a positional identity lens. as a tool. We examine how students position themselves and each other as experts and novices in the disciplines. We argue that this disciplinary positioning contributes to the lack of the reconciliation of ideas for these students. PST2A15: 6-6:45 p.m. Clicker Engagement in Introductory and *Supported by the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (DGE 0750616), NSF-TUES Upper-Division Physics Courses DUE 11-22818, and the HHMI NEXUS grant Poster – Patrick B. Kohl, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401; [email protected] PST2A11: 6-6:45 p.m. Assessing Learned Problem Solving Todd G. Ruskell, Vince H. Kuo, Colorado School of Mines Behavior in the Cognitive Apprenticeship Paradigm Clickers, while perhaps not ubiquitous, have become very common in Poster – William A. Schwalm, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND introductory physics classes where the audience is composed of students 58202-7129; [email protected] from a variety of majors. They have also begun to see use in upper-division Mizuho K. Schwalm, University of North Dakota and University of Minnesota- physics courses where the audience is almost entirely physics majors. Crookston 108 In this presentation we examine the hypothesis that these substantially ability to learn a second programming language (in this case, MATLAB), different populations will result in different levels of participation and and epistemological views. Each sample contained 14 students. The C/C++ engagement. We have videotaped the audiences of two introductory phys- students were better at applying their skills to a common programming ics courses and two junior-level physics courses (mechanics and E&M in problem, the groups were nearly identical in learning MATLAB, and the both cases) during clicker questions and quantified the level of engage- LabVIEW students made more progress toward expert epistemological ment in each. Preliminary results suggest that upper-division majors-only views. Here we report on a slightly larger (N=30 in each group) replication courses exhibit more peer-to-peer interaction and overall engagement than study conducted in 2011. introductory courses. 1. K. A. Harper, R. J. Freuler, J. T. Demel, S. Brand, “Comparing Instructional Effects of Graphics- and Text-Based Programming Languages,” 2011 AAPT Winter Meeting, PST2A16: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Comparing Student Conceptual Jacksonville, FL, Jan.11, 2011. *This project was supported by the National Instruments Foundation. Understanding of Thermodynamics in Physics and Engineering* PST2A19: 6-6:45 p.m. Developing a Conceptual Model for Both Poster – Jessica W. Clark, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469; Entropy and Energy* [email protected] Poster – Abigail R. Daane, Seattle Pacific University, West Seattle, WA Donald B. Mountcastle, John R. Thompson, University of Maine, Department 98109; [email protected] of Physics and Astronomy Stamatis Vokos, Seattle Pacific University Thermodynamics is a core part of curricula in physics and many engineering fields. Despite the apparent similarity in coverage, individual courses in Rachel E. Scherr, Seattle Pacific University each discipline have distinct emphases and applications. Physics education Entropy is typically not a central focus either in introductory university researchers have identified student difficulties with concepts such as heat, physics textbooks or in national standards for secondary education. temperature, and entropy as well as with larger grain-sized ideas such However, entropy is a key part of a strong conceptual model of energy, as state variables, path-dependent processes, etc. Engineering education especially for connecting energy conservation to energy degradation and research has corroborated these findings and has identified additional the irreversibility of processes. We are developing a conceptual model of difficulties unique to engineering contexts. We are beginning a project entropy and the second law of thermodynamics as they relate to energy, that provides an excellent opportunity for expanding the interdisciplinary with the goal of creating models and representations that link energy research on conceptual understanding in thermodynamics. This project and entropy in a meaningful way for learners analyzing real-life energy has two goals: first, determine the overlapping content and concepts across scenarios. We expect this model to help learners better understand how the disciplines; second, compare conceptual understanding between these their everyday experiences relate to formal physics analyses. Our goal is to groups using existing conceptual questions from PER and EER. We will develop tools for use with elementary and secondary teachers and second- present a review of PER and EER literature in thermodynamics and high- ary and university students. light some concepts that we will investigate. *This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation *This project is partially supported by NSF grant DUE-0817282. under Grant No. 0822342.

PST2A17: 6-6:45 p.m. Computational Modeling as a Promoter PST2A20: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Developing a Research-based of Cognitive Transfer: Pilot Study Interdisciplinary Physics Course for Biologists* Tuesday afternoon Poster – Scott S. Douglas, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA Poster – Edward F. Redish, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742- 30309; [email protected] 4111; [email protected] Marcos D. Caballero, University of Colorado at Boulder Benjamin W. Dreyfus, Benjamin D. Geller, Vashti Sawtelle, Chandra Turpen, Michael F. Schatz, Georgia Institute of Technology University of Maryland We describe a study of the role of computational modeling in recognizing We have piloted the first iteration of a new physics course for biology underlying similarities in different problems, a process called cognitive majors at the University of Maryland aimed at developing scientific compe- transfer. Previous studies have shown that this crucial process is highly tencies. The curriculum has been developed by an interdisciplinary team sensitive to context, suggestion, and familiarity with the subject matter. of physicists, biologists, and biophysicists, and involves departures from We propose that courses emphasizing computational modeling, in which the traditional introductory physics curriculum in choosing physics topics students repeatedly employ similar lines of code to model different physical that are most relevant for biology. The development process has also been systems, foster a more generalized cognitive transfer ability. We performed deeply connected to an ongoing conversation among physicists, chem- a think-aloud study on several students (some from a course involving ists, and biologists about creating a common thermodynamics across the computational modeling, others from a traditional physics course), expos- scientific disciplines. We have been collecting extensive qualitative and ing them to ordered pairs of problems of varying degrees of separation in quantitative data from the course, providing the basis for assessment of the specific details (molecular mechanics vs. projectile motion) and solution course, iterative development of the curriculum, and research on student methods (numerical vs. analytical). With these data, we attempt to separate reasoning in interdisciplinary contexts. the influence of long-term instruction in computational modeling from the *Supported in part by the HHMI NEXUS project, NSF grant DUE 11-22818, and NSF immediate priming effect of solving computational problems, and relate Graduate Research Fellowship (DGE 0750616). both to the promotion of cognitive transfer. PST2A21: 6-6:45 p.m. Development of a Standardized Fluids PST2A18: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Continuing the Comparison Between Assessment

Graphical- and Text-based Programming Instruction* Poster – D. J. Wagner, Grove City College, 100 Campus Dr., Grove City, PA Poster – Kathleen A. Harper, Engineering Education Innovation Center, The 1627; [email protected] Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210; [email protected] Elizabeth Carbone, Matthew Goszewski, Adam Moyer, Grove City College

Richard J. Freuler, John T. Demel, Stuart H. Brand, Engineering Education Sam Cohen, Dallastown High School/Grove City College Innovation Center, The Ohio State University We are developing an FCI-style assessment covering hydrostatic topics We previously reported the results of a comparison between two sections commonly included in introductory physics courses. The beta version of of a freshman-level introductory programming course taught in 2008.1 this assessment was rolled out in fall 2011, and revisions are ongoing. This One was taught using C and C++, while the other was based on Lab- poster will present the assessment, along with analysis of the questions and VIEW. The courses were structured such that they addressed the same plans for the future. We’re particularly interested in receiving suggestions basic programming constructs. The original study contained three major from other educators and in recruiting more beta-testers. Stop by and chat! comparisons: ability to apply programming knowledge to problem-solving, July 28–August 1, 2012 109 PST2A22: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Effect of Paper Color on Physics This study examines how graduate students become physics experts in a Exam Performance physics research group using Wenger’s apprenticeship framework within a Community of Practice. For an individual, the process of social reconfigu- Poster – David R. Schmidt,* Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401; ration is a matter of identity development through participation. We ana- [email protected] lyze data from an ethnographic case study of a biophysics research group Todd G. Ruskell, Patrick B. Kohl, Colorado School of Mines with two professors and four graduate students. Data consist of six months of participant observations and video recordings of the group’s research A substantial number of studies in the cognitive sciences have established meetings, interviews, document analysis, and two months of observa- that color, acting as an environmental cue, can significantly affect subject tions a year later. We present how students’ development of community performance on a variety of tasks. However, there is a dearth of research membership is a matter of identification, how an individual is recognized into how this phenomenon manifests itself in 1) the combined conceptual or labeled, and negotiability, how individuals position themselves based and computational field of physics and 2) the context of preparation (i.e. on their abilities to negotiate meaning in an interaction. Differences in where subjects prepare for relevant material prior to assessment as op- members’ ability to negotiate in an interaction informs us of their evolving posed to remaining ignorant of the tasks’ nature until immediately before position within the research group and the acknowledgement of their abili- assessment). Our experiment involves approximately 450 students in an ties and technical expertise. introductory E&M course in which the paper color used for examinations *Supported by NSF Award # PHY-0802184. was varied. Analysis includes raw exam scores and differentiates between students’ multiple choice, written response, conceptual, and computational performance. Additionally, we report on the time students require to com- PST2A26: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Experts Solving a Complicated plete exams and their confidence levels prior to and immediately following Problem assessment. *Sponsor: Patrick B. Kohl Poster – Bin Xiao, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695; [email protected] PST2A23: 6-6:45 p.m. Eliciting Physics Faculty Expectations Robert J. Beichner, North Carolina State University for Physics Majors Experts can normally solve end-of-chapter exercises efficiently with high confidence. Some researchers claim the experts are not truly working on Poster – Renee Michelle Goertzen, Florida International University, Miami, FL “problems” since they usually know how to solve them right from the 33199; [email protected] beginning. To investigate this, we asked several experts to work on simple Eric Brewe Florida, David Brookes, Laird Kramer, Florida International exercises as well as a complicated circuit problem using a think-aloud ap- University proach while simultaneously rating their self-confidence throughout their solution processes. Compared to their performance in solving end-of- As part of a project to investigate the goals physics faculty hold for physics chapter exercises, experts spent more time on understanding the problem majors, we have interviewed 17 physics faculty about what attitudes and and showed weaker metacognition while solving the problem. abilities they expect students to have developed by the time they graduate with a bachelor’s degree from our institution. Our preliminary analysis of the interviews suggests that some of these goals are both implicit and PST2A27: 6-6:45 p.m. Characterizing and Resolving the constructed in-the-moment in response to interview prompts. Under- Undifferentiated View of Ionizing Radiation standing the nature of physics faculty expectations will allow us to better assess whether students meet these expectations, as well as whether physics Poster – Andy Johnson, South Dakota Center for the Advancement of Math programs standards adequately capture faculty goals. In the longer term, and Science Education, CAMSE, Spearfish, SD 57799-9005 andy.johnson@ our goal is to investigate whether physics programs are providing sufficient bhsu.edu opportunities for students to develop these desired attitudes and abilities. Natalie Dekay, Rebecca Maidl, CAMSE The Radioactivity by Inquiry project (NSF DUE grant 0942699) is develop- PST2A24: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Engineering Students’ Kinds of ing inquiry-based materials for teaching radiation literacy at the high Mental Representations in Kinematics school and college levels. We have found that students initially do not distinguish between radiation and the radioactive source. This has previously Poster – Bashirah Ibrahim, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506- been observed by Eijkelhof (1990), Millar & Gill (1996) and Prather &

Tuesday afternoon Tuesday 2601; [email protected] Harrington (2001). The undifferentiated view is that radiation is “bad stuff,”

N. Sanjay Rebello, Kansas State University that there is no difference between radiation and radioactivity, and that radiation causes contamination. Developing a view of radiation as high- This study explores the categories of cognitive structures constructed by speed, subatomic particles requires distinguishing between radiation and engineering students taking a calculus-based physics course. A sample of radioactive materials. In this poster we identify and characterize students’ 19 students completed five non-directed tasks, with different represen- initial ideas about radiation in terms of the undifferentiated radiation view tational formats, on the topic of kinematics. Individual interviews were and we quantify student progress toward differentiation. We find that dif- conducted immediately following these tasks. The Johnson-Laird (1983) ferentiating fully and abandoning the view of “radiation as stuff” involves a cognitive framework was applied to classify the participants’ mental rep- long and challenging process that some students find difficult to complete. resentations. It proposes three types of internal constructs: propositional representations, mental models, and mental images. The students’ written solutions and individual interview responses were related to the cognitive PST2A28: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Exploring Learning Difficulties framework to infer about the kind of mental representations. None of the Associated with Understanding Ionizing by Radiation students were classified with a mental model. Most (11 in 19) of the sample constructed propositional representation while the remaining students Poster – Andy Johnson, South Dakota Center for the Advancement of Math were identified with a mental image. This outcome indicates that these and Science Education, CAMSE, Spearfish, SD 57799-9005; andy.johnson@ students have a poor understanding of the various concepts presented by bhsu.edu the different tasks. Supported in part by NSF grant 0816207. Anna Hafele, CAMSE “What does the word ‘ionizing’ mean in the phrase ‘ionizing radiation’?” PST2A25: 6-6:45 p.m. Evolving Positions and Acknowledged This question serves as a litmus test for student understanding on how Abilities: Expert Identity Development* radiation affects matter. The Radioactivity by Inquiry project (NSF DUE grant 0942699) is researching how non-science undergraduates can come Poster – Idaykis Rodriguez, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199; to understand the interaction of radiation with matter through inquiry, and [email protected] why some students fail to understand ionization. Despite carefully planned Renee Michelle Goertzen, Eric Brewe, Laird H. Kramer, Florida International instruction on ionization, only 12% of students answered this question cor- University rectly post-instruction the first time it was asked two years ago. After major

110 effort, we are up to 70% but we find additional problems with ionizing. PST2A32: 6:45-7:30 p.m. How Do Physics Majors Assert their It appears that understanding ionization requires a mechanistic mental Physics Identity? model of atoms as well as differentiating radiation from radioactivity. Poster – Sissi L. Li, Catalyst Center, California State University Fullerton, PST2A29: 6-6:45 p.m. Exploring “Design” in the Introductory Fullerton, CA 92831; [email protected] Physics Laboratory Michael E. Loverude, California State University Fullerton Declaring and pursuing a major is an explicit choice to interact with and Poster – Jason E. Dowd, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138; jedowd. join a community. As a part of becoming physics majors, students develop [email protected] a relationship with the academic and professional physics communities Eric Mazur, Harvard University which is shaped by the way the individual makes sense of how to be a part Inquiry-based laboratory activities that emphasize scientific reasoning of the physics community. This physics major identity development can skills are better than more traditional alternatives, but how much “design” be expressed in the ways students engage in their physics classes, the ways is too much? In this study, students in one semester of introductory physics they think about physics, and the ways they do physics in their everyday are split into two different “design-focused” sequences of laboratory activi- lives. In this study, we examine the ways in which students behave and ties: heuristically scaffolded, ISLE-like (Rutgers) labs and largely explor- think “like physicists” as they begin to take upper-division courses in their atory, SCL-like (Maryland) labs. Both sequences are implemented over five major. Using classroom observations, individual semi-structured inter- biweekly meetings. Written reports were evaluated using the same rubrics views, and written reflective journals, we present common and unusual as those used to assess scientific reasoning abilities in ISLE labs, so our ways in which students assert their physics identity and propose implica- findings are directly comparable with results reported from Rutgers. We tions for identity development as physicists. observe slight differences between the two groups along some dimensions that seem to favor the more exploratory sequence, though our clearest PST2A33: 6-6:45 p.m. How Numbers Help Students Solve observation is that five biweekly meetings is not sufficient for several im- Physics Problems portant abilities. We elaborate on these findings and make suggestions for future implementation of these approaches to introductory laboratories. Poster – Eugene Torigoe, Allegheny College, Meadville, PA 16335 etorigoe@ gmail.com PST2A30: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Force Concept Inventory Interviews: The mathematical solution to a physics problem requires many different Gender Bias and Guessing types of information to be represented by symbols. Some symbol properties are permanent, such as the association of a symbol with an object. And Poster – Wendy K. Adams, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO others change as the solution progresses, such as whether the quantity is 80639; [email protected] known or unknown. Because of the different ways information is repre- Richard D. Dietz, Matthew R. Semak, Courtney W. Willis, University of sented in numeric and symbolic problem solutions, symbolic problems Northern Colorado can often be much more difficult for students than numeric problems. For example, while it is easy to distinguish a known and unknown quantity in We have been investigating the issue of gender bias in the Force Concept a numeric solution, there is no explicit notation in a symbolic solution for Inventory (FCI) for several years. In introductory physics courses at the such a distinction. The poster will also describe how such differences can University of Northern Colorado (UNC) our female students have much affect the strategic choices made by students. lower pre-test scores (26%) than do their male counterparts (42%). This difference is not consistent with their performance in the physics courses Tuesday afternoon they are taking. UNC accepts students with a wide range of ability, so a PST2A34: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Implementing SCALE-UP in Physics large fraction of the pre-test scores are lower than is seen in recent pub- at UNC-CH lished research. Therefore our students represent the full range of possible Poster – Duane Deardorff, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC pre-test scores. Early this year we turned to think-aloud student interviews 27599; [email protected] on a subset of 19 of the 30 FCI questions. Preliminary results indicate that students who score 20% or lower on the FCI are not guessing; they have Alice Churukian, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reasons for their answers. Furthermore, particular incorrect answers are During the summer of 2010, the Department of Physics and Astronomy selected for a variety of reasons. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill renovated one of the traditional physics lab rooms into a SCALE-UP (Student Centered Active PST2A31: 6-6:45 p.m. Free Online Physics Course Emphasiz- Learning Environment for Upside-down Pedagogies) style classroom with ing Problem Solving the first section being taught that fall. This method of instruction provides an opportunity to integrate lecture, lab, and recitation activities in a cohe- Poster – Saif Rayyan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA sive way that strengthens and synchronizes aspects of the various compo- 02139; [email protected] nents while allowing students to work in groups with hands-on activities Analia Barrantes, David E. Pritchard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology in a studio environment. While this instructional methodology has already been implemented in over 100 other schools around the world (and proven Andrew Pawl, University of Wisconsin - Platteville to be effective in most cases), this was the first time at UNC-CH. Lessons Raluca Teodorescu, The George Washington University learned from this experience will be shared. Our RELATE group is currently teaching an online course on Newtonian Mechanics (http://relate.mit.edu/physicscourse/). The course develops PST2A35: 6-6:45 p.m. Instructor’s Goals for Using Example more expert-like problem solving skills using the MAPS Pedagogy, 1 and Solutions for Introductory Physics includes hundreds of assessment questions, many based on results from physics education research. Open-source course content (modularized Poster – William Mamudi, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI e-text, animations, videos, and solved examples) is divided into learn- 49008; [email protected] ing modules that are mapped to a list of learning objectives. The course Charles Henderson, Western Michigan University is hosted on the LONCAPA network (http://loncapa.org), and anyone in Shih-Yin Lin, Chandralekha Singh, University of Pittsburgh the network can use our course content in their classes. We are currently integrating IRT into this platform, enabling standardized assessment of Edit Yerushalmi, Weizmann Institute of Science student and class skill on a national standard that is independent of which In light of recommendations from the literature for modeling expert-like problems students work. We thank Yoav Bergner, Stephan Dröschler, Sara problem solving approaches, we investigated instructors’ goals for provid- Julin, Boris Korsunsky, Gerd Kortemeyer, and Daniel Seaton for their ing example solutions in introductory physics courses. Twenty-four gradu- significant contributions. ate teaching assistants and 30 faculty were asked: 1) in a general context, 1. AIP Conf. Proc. 1179, pp. 51-54 (2009). to describe their main purposes for providing example solutions, and 2)

July 28–August 1, 2012 111 specifically, to identify their considerations when comparing three example PST2A40: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Internet Coaches for Problem-Solv- solutions that reflect different pedagogical views. Differences between the ing in Introductory Physics: Experimental Design faculty and TAs will be discussed in order to describe possible progression of ideas throughout an instructor’s professional career. For example, faculty Poster – Leon Hsu University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN explicitly emphasize the importance of developing expert-like problem 55455 [email protected] solving when discussing their goals in the general context. In contrast TAs Ken Heller, Qing Xu, University of Minnesota refer to the goal of developing expert-like problem solving mainly in an implicit manner, when examining specific solutions, and emphasize other The Physics Education Group at the University of Minnesota has been values, such as helping students develop conceptual understanding, when constructing web-based programs that can provide introductory physics asked explicitly on their purposes in the general context. students with coaching in the use of an expert-like framework in solving problems. During the fall 2011 semester, the coaches were introduced into a large (200+ students) section of the introductory mechanics course at the PST2A37: 6-6:45 p.m. Interactive Learning in French University of Minnesota to assess their educational impact. We describe University Physics Classrooms the design of this experiment, including the construction of comparison Poster – Alexander L. Rudolph, Cal Poly Pomona, Pomona, CA 91768; groups, student reactions to the computer programs, and lessons learned. [email protected] A companion poster addresses the data analysis, including results obtained to date. This work was supported by NSF DUE-0715615. Michael Joyce, Brahim Lamine, Université Pierre et Marie Curie This is a report on a project to introduce interactive learning strategies PST2A41: 6-6:45 p.m. Investigating Science Learning to physics classes at Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris), one of the leading science universities in France. In spring 2012, instructors in over Attitudes Among Chinese Students 20 classrooms, enrolling almost 1000 students, implemented Think-Pair- Poster – Lin Ding, School of Teaching and Learning, The Ohio State Univer- Share questions and Peer Instruction in the main lecture classrooms, and sity, Columbus, OH 43210; [email protected] University of Washington “Tutorials in Introductory Physics” in recitation sections. In two of these classes, a second-semester mechanics class, and an Empirical studies aiming at student conceptual learning in physics show introductory E&M class, enrolling 500 and 300 students respectively, pre- that Chinese students overall demonstrate a higher level of content knowl- and post-instruction assessments (FCI and CSEM respectively) were given, edge than do their U.S. counterparts, and that their reasoning skills in basic along with a series of demographics questions. Not all lecture or recitation scientific practices, however, are comparable between the two nations. sections in these classes used interactive learning, allowing us to compare Since student epistemological ideas exert substantial influences on learning the results of the FCI and CSEM between interactive and non-interactive outcomes, it is reasonable to hypothesize, based on the previous literature, classes taught simultaneously with the same curriculum. We also analyze that students in the two nations may have different views about what phys- test results and course grades, as well as the results of student and instruc- ics is and how physics should be learned. As part of our ongoing project, tor attitude surveys between classes. this study looks into the epistemological beliefs of Chinese students in the learning of physics. We administered the Colorado Learning Attitudes Survey about Science to Chinese high school and college students. Some PST2A38: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Interdisciplinary Understanding of preliminary results are reported in this paper. Osmosis and Diffusion Among Undergraduate Science Students PST2A42: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Investigating Students’ Understand- Poster – Craig C. Wiegert, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-2451 ing of the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus* [email protected] Poster – Rabindra R. Bajracharya, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469; Ji Shen, Dongmei Zhang, Shannon Sung, Kathrin Stanger-Hall, University of [email protected] Georgia John R. Thompson, University of Maine Our multi-disciplinary collaboration of University of Georgia scientists The Fundamental Theorem of Calculus (FTC) is an extremely useful and educators has been designing test items to assess college-level science computational tool widely used for solving various physics problems. students’ understanding of osmosis, diffusion, and filtration -- topics that It is implicitly invoked in the evaluation of integral problems. Research incorporate physical, chemical, biological, and/or physiological knowledge. in mathematics education has documented student difficulties with the Tuesday afternoon Tuesday We present the exploratory data analysis of the first results of administer- underlying concepts of the FTC. We are investigating student difficulties

ing our assessment items in introductory physics, biology, and physiology with the FTC, and extending the work in mathematics to include relevant courses. In light of the coming revisions to the MCAT, and the growing situations in physics. Questions administered as written surveys and indi- importance of introductory physics courses that are tailored to the life sci- vidual interviews in calculus-based introductory physics and multivariable ences, results such as ours may help to guide curriculum changes in these calculus classes focused on the determination of signs of integrals, primar- introductory courses. ily in graphical representations. Negative integrals in particular provided a rich context for FTC application. We find that students use the FTC as PST2A39: 6-6:45 p.m. Internet Coaches for Problem-Solving in a computational tool without understanding the underlying concepts. Introductory Physics: Data Analysis One observed difficulty is an operational confusion between the function endpoints and the antiderivative endpoints when determining the integral Poster – Qing Xu, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN signs. 55455; [email protected] *This work is partially supported by NSF grant DUE-0817282. Ken Heller, Leon Hsu, Bijaya Aryal. University of Minnesota-Rochester The Physics Education Group at the University of Minnesota has been PST2A43: 6-6:45 p.m. Investigating Visual Attention in constructing web-based programs that can provide introductory physics Physics Using Scan-Path Eye Movement Analysis* students with coaching in the use of an expert-like framework in solving problems. During the fall 2011 semester, the coaches were introduced into Poster – Adrian Madsen, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506- a large (200+ students) section of the introductory mechanics course at the 2601; [email protected] University of Minnesota to assess their educational impact. In this poster, Adam Larson, Amy Rouinfar, Lester Loschky, N. Sanjay Rebello Kansas we will present the results of using a problem-solving rubric to analyze State University students’ solutions from problems on mid-semester quizzes and the final Two types of processes, top-down and bottom-up, guide visual attention. exam. The rubric evaluates a student’s problem-solving performance along Bottom-up processes are fast, automatic processes based on noticeable fea- five axes based on expert-novice problem solving research. This work was tures in the environment. Top-down processes are based on prior knowl- supported by NSF DUE-0715615. edge, goals, and expectations. To investigate how top-down and bottom-up processes influence visual attention in physics problems, we recorded eye

112 movements of 24 individuals on problems with diagrams that contained methodology used to explore the following questions: To what extent do areas consistent with novice-like responses and areas of high perceptual knowledge integration processes take place? How do students make use of salience. We used an algorithm that calculates a similarity score between the opportunities provided by the activity to negotiate and possibly elabo- pairs of participants’ eye movements. We compared pairs of correct solvers rate alternative interpretations of physics concepts and principles? (CC) and pairs of incorrect solvers (II). We found no statistically significant differences between the CC and II comparisons on five of the six PST2A47: 6-6:45 p.m. Making Sense of Friction as an problems. This result seems to imply that top-down processes relying on incorrect domain knowledge, rather than bottom-up processes driven by Interaction Using System Schema perceptual salience, influence the visual attention of incorrect solvers. Poster – Brant Hinrichs, Drury University, Springfield, MO 65802; bhinrichs@ *This work supported in part by NSF grant 1138697. drury.edu After learning Newton’s second law, students in a university modeling- PST2A44: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Item Response Theory and Colla- based introductory physics class are asked to imagine a box sliding across borative Filtering: Is Your Course Unidimensional? a floor and slowing to a stop. Although they’ve had extensive experience with friction in the context of energy, this is their first exposure to friction Poster – Yoav Bergner, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, within the context of forces. They are asked to make different representa- MA 02139; [email protected] tions for this scenario, including a system schema, and force diagram. Dur- Stefan Droschler, Ostfalia U. & MIT ing their small group work, students quickly run into a difficulty: there are Daniel Seaton, David E. Pritchard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology only two interactions with the box (contact, gravitational), so there should only be two forces, yet the box is slowing, which means it must have unbal- Gerd Kortemeyer Michigan State University anced forces in the direction of acceleration. In this talk, I present evidence Online homework is a natural way to assess what students know, but the from the student-led whole class discussion showing how the class uses the questions themselves may not always fit the bill. Items may be flawed, too System Schema to help reason about this problem in a productive manner hard or too easy, or they may measure abilities that are different from the and come to a useful consensus. intended ones. Item response models not only measure student abilities independently of which subset of questions they answer, but these models PST2A48: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Optics Concept Assessment also detect flaws in the questions. We demonstrate how collaborative filtering (used by Netflix to predict which movies you might like) can be used Poster – Timothy T. Grove, IPFW, Fort Wayne, IN 46805; [email protected] to analyze student response data, motivating and extending a class of item Mark F. Masters, IPFW response models. Analysis shows that chemistry homework assigned using LON-CAPA at MSU indicates two-dimensional skill and discrimination, Ernest Behringer, Eastern Michigan University whereas the Mechanics Baseline Test at MIT is unidimensional. In order to assess student learning of optics, we have created an optics concept assessment exam. Optics is a broad sub-field of physics (wave PST2A45: 6-6:45 p.m. Knowledge Integration While model of light, ray model of light, mirrors, lenses, interference, etc.) and Interacting with an Online Troubleshooting Activity: this exam was designed to assess a broad range of these basic tenets. Testing for common misconceptions while using plain, student language, Findings we have probed to better understand student thinking. We will show our

Poster – Edit Yerushalmi, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100 preliminary findings. Israel; [email protected] Tuesday afternoon Menashe Puterkovski, Esther Bagno, Weizmann Institute of Science PST2A49: 6-6:45 p.m. Particle Physics Masterclass as a Context for Learning About NOS A troubleshooting activity was carried out by an e-tutor in two steps. First the student diagnoses a mistaken statement, then the student compares his Poster – Michael J. Wadness, Medford High School/QuarkNet/UMass Lowell, diagnosis to an exemplary diagnosis provided by the e-tutor. To examine Natick, MA 01760; [email protected] whether and how the activity attains its objective—to engage students in a process of clarifying and repairing the mistaken ideas underlying the mis- This research addresses the question: Do secondary school science students taken statement, we studied the discourse between students working with attending the Particle Physics Masterclass change their view of the nature the e-tutor on a statement implying that because there is no current on an of science (NOS)? The Particle Physics Masterclass is a national physics open switch in a DC circuit, according to Ohm’s law the potential differ- outreach program run by QuarkNet, in which high school physics students ence is necessarily zero. We present an analysis showing how the activity gather at a local research institution for one day to learn about particle triggered students to explicate multiple alternative interpretations of the physics and the scientific enterprise. Student activities include introduc- principles and concepts involved and attempt to align conflicting interpre- tory lectures in particle physics, laboratory tours, analysis of actual data tations. We discuss how successive amendations gradually culminated in from CERN, and the discussion of their findings in a conference-like the elaboration of students’ understanding of these concepts. atmosphere. Although there are a number of outreach programs involving scientists in K-12 education, very few of them have been formally evaluated to determine if they provide adequate learning of NOS. Therefore, PST2A46: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Knowledge Integration While Inter- the significance of this study is that it investigates the claim that science acting with an Online Troubleshooting Activity: outreach programs may be designed to address science literacy, specifically Methodology as a context for explicit NOS instruction.

Poster – Menashe Puterkovski, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, PST2A50: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Pedagogical Motivations and 76100 ISRAEL; [email protected] Practices of New Faculty Following Participation in an Esther Bagno, Edit Yerushalmi, Weizmann institute of Science Intensive Physics Education Focused Workshop A troubleshooting activity was carried out by an e-tutor in two steps. First the student diagnoses a mistaken statement attributed to the virtual Poster – Melissa Dancy, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80305; melissa. student “Danny”, then the student compares his/her own diagnosis to an [email protected] exemplary diagnosis provided by the e-tutor. These steps are based on Charles Henderson, Western Michigan University three design principles: 1) Eliciting common misinterpretations. 2) Incor- porating knowledge integration processes. 3) Inspiring a non-judgmental In our previous work we interviewed faculty retrospectively about their argumentative environment. These activities aim to provide students with decision-making regarding research-based reforms. In order to develop a ample opportunities to recognize, acknowledge and attempt to resolve more in-depth understanding we are currently following 15 physics faculty conflicts between possible interpretations of scientific concepts and during the change process. We report on interviews of 15 physics faculty principles. This talk will focus on the design of the artifacts implemented pre- and post-semester for the two semesters they taught an introductory in these activities (mistaken statements and exemplary diagnoses) and the course following their participation in the Physics and Astronomy New July 28–August 1, 2012 113 Faculty Workshop. All faculty interviewed were in their beginning years PST2A55: 6-6:45 p.m. Pilot Testing of the Modeling Instruction as an instructor and expressed a strong interest in integrating Physics Curriculum Education Research in their teaching practice. In this poster we present an analysis of the research-based instructional practices these faculty Poster – Jared L. Durden, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199; implemented, including the ways in which they modified practices and the [email protected] reasons behind their decisions to implement and modify. Eric Brewe, Florida International University At Florida International University we are developing a curriculum guide PST2A51: 6-6:45 p.m. Physics Pedagogy and Assessment in and set of comprehensive video and digital resources to support the Secondary Schools: Key Findings implementation of Modeling Instruction. In preparation for dissemination of the curriculum materials and instructor support guide, we pilot tested Poster – Melissa M. Nemeth, Bogan HS, 3939 W. 79th St., Chicago, IL the curriculum guide. An instructor with no previous experience teaching 60652; [email protected] introductory physics using Modeling Instruction utilized the curriculum Gordon P. Ramsey, David W. Haberkorn, Loyola University Chicago guide and instructor resources. To better understand how to support As physics provides a crucial link between mathematics and science, high Modeling Instruction curriculum use, we conducted interviews with the school physics teachers are under constant pressure to deliver the best instructor during and after the semester. We have identified three types of education possible. Our research aims to uncover current best practices instructional resources germane to implementing Modeling Instruction. in secondary physics education and make recommendations based on our The instructor brought considerable resources based on prior teaching key findings. With the knowledge that students’ socioeconomic status and experiences. Several resources were developed during the instruction with teachers’ experience affects the way physics is taught, we surveyed teach- assistance of the curriculum materials. Finally, several resources were not ers in the categories of demographics, student and teacher backgrounds, developed. We investigate the role that these resources play in instruction teaching practices, and assessment techniques. Using current education and how to structure faculty professional development that supports the research, we created a measuring tool to rank and quantify responses development of instructional resources. in these categories. We used these numbers to quantify the key findings presented. Our main objective is to make recommendations of specific PST2A56: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Preliminary Investigations of ways to make high school physics more engaging with the ultimate goal of Physical Science Teacher Content Knowledge and ensuring higher student success in college and beyond. See talk by Gordon PCK* P. Ramsey and poster by David Haberkorn for further details. Poster – Daniel P. Laverty, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469; daniel. PST2A53: 6-6:45 p.m. Physics Students’ Use of Layers and [email protected] Representations to Understand Integrals* John R. Thompson, MacKenzie R. Stetzer, University of Maine There is ongoing discussion of the extent to which specific strands of Poster – Joshua Von Korff, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506- teacher professional development influence student learning. We describe 2601; [email protected] research efforts exploring the roles of teacher content knowledge and N. Sanjay Rebello, Kansas State University pedagogical content knowledge, particularly teacher knowledge of student Students’ understanding of integration can be analyzed in terms of layers ideas (KSI), in the context of the Maine Physical Sciences Partnership and representations. “Layers” are mathematical objects or procedures that (MainePSP). The primary focus of the MainePSP is the professional are used to construct an integral: each integral can be conceptualized as a development of physical science instructors in grades 6-9 via curriculum sum of many products. Representations are ways of expressing these lay- renewal using common instructional resources across multiple school ers in written or spoken form, including verbal, diagrammatic, symbolic, districts. This particular study looks to assess teacher content knowledge graphical, and tabular representations. We present an analysis of physics and KSI in order to explore their respective effects on student learning in students’ work in terms of layers and representations, and describe course specific contexts, including density and mechanics. We will describe our materials designed to help students view integrals in terms of layers. The methods, present preliminary results, and outline recommendations for layers and representations framework has often been applied in a math- further investigation. ematics context; we present a modification of the layer structure that is *This work is partially supported by NSF grant DUE 0962805. useful in a physics context. Tuesday afternoon Tuesday *This work supported in part by NSF grant 0816207. PST2A57: 6-6:45 p.m. Pre-service Physics Teachers’ Moral Sensitivity in the Context of Physics-Related PST2A54: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Physics Teaching Assistants’ Beliefs SocioscientificI ssues and Practices: Applying a Framework Poster – Sungmin Im Daegu, University 201 Daegudaero, Jillyang, Gyeong- Poster – Benjamin T. Spike, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0390; san, Gyeongsangbukdo, 712714 South Korea; [email protected] [email protected] Since promoting scientific literacy for all students has been emphasized as Noah D. Finkelstein, University of Colorado - Boulder a main goal of secondary school science, there are extensive discussions to Increasing attention is being paid to the role of Teaching Assistants (TAs) argue how to define scientific literacy in a manner of functional form and in supporting research-based instructional environments. We build upon a how to promote it. Many studies support that achieving functional scien- broad foundation of research in the nature of teacher knowledge to develop tific literacy requires attention to moral factors associated with socioscien- an analytic framework for how TAs talk about and enact their roles as tific issues (SSI) and moral implications of decisions made in the context of teachers. In a previous work,1 we began to outline a framework for TA SSI. Although there is an increasing amount of research on SSI in the field pedagogical knowledge and highlighted examples of emergent differences of secondary science education and science teacher education, much has between TAs along one particular dimension, Agency. In this paper, we ex- been focused on students rather than teachers, and interest in the context tend this framework to include additional dimensions of goals and assess- of biological or environmental issues such as global climate change, genetic ment in order to provide a more complete description of the pedagogical engineering, stem cell research, and many modern health care options. The knowledge TAs draw upon when talking about and engaging in teaching purpose of this study is to investigate pre-service physics teachers’ moral practices. Using examples drawn from several semesters of TA interviews sensitivity in the context of physics-related socioscientific issues (SSI). and classroom videotape, we then show the utility of this framework and Moral sensitivity in this study was defined as the ability to recognize when describe instances of coordination and incoordination between TA beliefs a situation contains a moral aspect. When confronted with a situation, such and practices. as SSI, a person with moral sensitivity is aware of how possible resolutions 1. B.T. Spike and N.D. Finkelstein, PERC 2011. of the situation have the potential to affect others in a negative manner. In this talk, the result and its significance would be discussed in the context of seeking viable strategy to confront moral aspect of physics teaching.

114 PST2A58: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Proportional Reasoning Competence PST2A61: 6-6:45 p.m. Student Difficulties in Translating Among Different Student Populations Between Mathematical and Graphical Representations

Poster – King Wong,* Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA in Introductory Physics 98225-9164; [email protected] Poster – Alexandru Maries, University of Pittsburgh, 5813 Bartlett St., Pitts- Andrew Boudreaux Western Washington University burgh, PA 15217; [email protected] A collaborative project between Western Washington University, Rutgers Chandralekha Singh University, and New Mexico State University seeks to understand students’ Prior research suggests that introductory physics students have difficulty competence level on proportional reasoning. We have been collecting and with graphing and interpreting graphs. We investigate introductory physics analyzing data from introductory physics and science education courses students’ difficulties in translating between mathematical and graphical using a set of assessment tasks. We utilize the notion of constructs to cat- representations and effect of scaffolding on students’ performance. We gave egorize student thinking according to repetitive patterns. Results suggest a typical problem that can be solved using Gauss’s law involving spheri- that, when students confront ratio and proportion problems, they often cally symmetric charge distribution (a conducting sphere concentric with experience a gap between the mechanics of the mathematical operations a conducting spherical shell) to 96 calculus-based introductory physics and the conscious understanding of what they are doing. In this poster students. We asked students to write a mathematical expression for the we will share results of our findings from different courses, institutions, electric field in various regions and asked them to graph the electric field. and student populations. Supported by NSF grants DUE-1045227, DUE- We knew from previous experience that students’ have great difficulty in 1045231, DUE-1045250. graphing the electric field for this problem. Therefore, we implemented two *Sponsor: Andrew Boudreaux scaffolding interventions to help them. Students who received the scaffolding support were either 1) asked to draw the electric field in each region PST2A59: 6-6:45 p.m. Research on Coherence Seeking first (before having to plot it as a function of distance from the center of the Across Disciplinary Boundaries* sphere) or 2) asked to draw the electric field in each region and asked to explicitly evaluate the electric field at the beginning, mid and end points of Poster – Chandra Turpen, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742; each region. The comparison group was only asked to plot the electric field [email protected] at the end of the problem. We also conducted recorded interviews with Benjamin W. Dreyfus, Benjamin Geller, Vashti Sawtelle, Edward F. Redish, individual students in order to better understand how the interventions Department of Physics, University of Maryland impacted them. We will present some surprising results. We analyze coherence-seeking in ongoing student activity from a video- recorded discussion section. Here, students engage in a task designed to PST2A62: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Student Generated Content for build connections between physics and biology. We present evidence of Learning students 1) spontaneously bringing in unanticipated outside knowledge Poster – Ross K. Galloway, University of Edinburgh, King’s Buildings, Edin- into their reasoning in this physics course and 2) seeking connections burgh, EH9 3JZ United Kingdom; [email protected] between the course material and other things they know. Throughout this process, we examine both implicit and explicit indexing of the disciplines Simon P. Bates University of Edinburgh throughout the reasoning episode to show that often these connections Morag M. Casey University of Glasgow span disciplinary boundaries. Independent of whether reconciliation is We report on an extensive, multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary proj-

achieved, we see coherence-seeking reasoning practices that students are Tuesday afternoon ect to evaluate student learning as a result of student engagement with con- engaged in as essential to scientific practice and as such we claim that those tent creation: specifically, the generation of course questions. The project practices should be a focus of our assessment efforts. involves the deployment of the PeerWise online system with undergradu- *Supported by the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (DGE 0750616), NSF-TUES ate physics, chemistry, and biology students at multiple undergraduate lev- DUE 11-22818, and the HHMI NEXUS grant. els at a number of universities. We find high levels of student engagement with the system, coupled with generally high-quality student contributions. PST2A60: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Research on Students’ Reasoning We present evidence that suggests that meaningful participation in content About Interdisciplinarity* generation tasks enhances student learning, as measured by typical course assessments. We find similar effects at multiple levels and across disciplines Poster – Benjamin Geller, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742; and institutions; beneficial aspects are also found for students with a range [email protected] of abilities within the classes, suggesting that our mode of implementation Benjamin W. Dreyfus, Vashti Sawtelle, Chandra Turpen, Edward F. Redish, has wide applicability. We highlight cognitive scaffolding tasks that we Department of Physics, University of Maryland believe promote effective student engagement with the activity. We present qualitative data of undergraduates describing the relationship between scientific disciplines. Rather than viewing biology, chemistry, PST2A63: 6-6:45 p.m. Students’ Use of Real-World Knowledge and physics as existing in disconnected silos, these students often describe During Collaborative Physics Problem Solving the relationships in a hierarchical or horizontal fashion. The hierarchical arrangements order the disciplines by degree of system complexity, or Poster – Mathew Martinuk, 2264 Ferndale St., Vancouver, British Columbia, by the scale used to examine a particular system. For example, a student V5L1Y5 Canada; [email protected] might view the full description of folded proteins at the top (biology), In this poster I will describe students’ use of their real-world knowledge chemical reactions involving proteins’ functions as chemistry, and motion and their epistemological framing during collaborative group recitation of the protein’s individual atoms as foundational (physics). Other students problems in an introductory algebra-based physics course for non-physics describe a horizontal view of disciplinary boundaries, without a founda- majors. Analysis of 14 different student groups working on three different tional bottom but maintaining overlapping realms of interest. Others want recitation problems reveals that: 1) Despite significant prompting within physics embedded in a context that positions its relationship to biology the problems and support in lecture, over half of the groups do not make via analogy. We examine evidence that students’ conceptions are unstable significant use of their real-world knowledge as a part of their solution to and context-dependent, and suspect that these conceptions are related to the recitation problems. 2) Students that do make use of their real-world course messaging in a bidirectional manner. knowledge do so during conceptual discussion, but not during proce- *Supported by the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (DGE 0750616), NSF-TUES dural discussion. Implications for instruction and future research will be DUE 11-22818, and the HHMI NEXUS grant. discussed.

July 28–August 1, 2012 115 PST2A64: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Students’ Individual Performance Peer instruction, a teaching strategy designed to increase student interac- After Group Interaction tion, has been shown to improve student learning and retention in physics courses. In the classroom, students respond to conceptual questions, Poster – Bijaya Aryal, University of Minnesota-Rochester, Rochester, MN discuss with peers and then respond again. Student response patterns 55904; [email protected] (or switching) provide the instructor with real-time feedback of student Prior studies report the enhancement of students’ task performance in understanding and are used to guide the discussion during class. But how group settings. Nonetheless, it is important for students to complete tasks do these switching patterns relate to other dimensions of student learning? in individual settings at some points of learning experiences as individual Does switching tell us more about students’ confidence than understand- decision making is essential in everyday and professional lives. This study ing? How can we better understand this behavior that is essentially steering examined the effect of ordering group and individual exercise on students’ the course? We analyze the relationship between “switching” variables and subsequent individual problem-solving performance. Series of individual other student metrics to better understand how the dynamics of student and group assignments having similar underlying physics principles were interaction lead to improved student learning. designed and implemented for two semesters of a physics course. The first two assignments of each series were used to help consolidating students’ PST2A68: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Teaching Assistant Perceptions of prior learning and the third assignment was used to examine their transfer Uncivil Student Classroom Behavior of learning. This presentation describes some of the findings from last two semesters regarding the students’ performances in learning consolidation Poster – Jennifer Blue, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056; bluejm@ phase. In addition, it reports the effects of ordering group and individual muohio.edu activities on students’ subsequent individual transfer of learning. Julie Semlak, Miami University

PST2A65: 6-6:45 p.m. Students’ Response Patterns to In this study, we ask graduate student teaching assistants to respond to a list of uncivil undergraduate student behaviors. Some examples of these are Research Tasks with Alternative Questioning Formats texting during class, doing work for other classes, and packing up books Poster – Jeffrey M. Hawkins, The University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469; before the class is over. Our survey lists several of these behaviors and United States [email protected] asks for participants to indicate how bothered they are by each behavior. Undergraduate student and faculty perceptions of uncivil behavior have Brian W. Frank, Middle Tennessee State University already been studied, but this is the first study of its kind to survey gradu- Michael C. Wittmann, John R. Thompson The University of Maine ate students, who are in the unique position of being both students and instructors. Findings from this study can be used in teaching assistant Teachers, researchers, and curriculum developers utilize the results of development and support. formative assessment to elicit students pre-instruction physics ideas. In canonical physics education research tasks, students are asked to identify a correct answer and justify their answer choice. However, we find that PST2A69: 6-6:45 p.m. Teaching to Learn: Exploring the students often know more than is revealed by their answers to these Experiences of First Time Learning Assistants question formats. In two research tasks, students were either given the correct answer and asked to justify it, or they were asked which response Poster – Kara E. Gray, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309; kara. they would eliminate and to provide a justification for why that response [email protected] is incorrect. These tasks were randomly administered, online, to students Valerie K. Otero, University of Colorado-Boulder in the first semester of an introductory calculus-based physics course. We This physics education research explores, from the participants’ perspec- present results from these pre-tests, comparing the types of reasoning and tive, the Colorado Learning Assistant program. Interviews, written records, frequency of responses across question types. We find that the variations in and videos of first-time physics Learning Assistants (LAs) were analyzed. responses given by students are context dependent. Experiences include the challenges LAs face, how they address these challenges, and their adoption and adaption of the teaching philosophy of PST2A66: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Student-Teacher Interactions for the LA program. Findings suggest that through participating in teaching Bringing Out Student Ideas About Energy* activities as LAs, students generate different ways of speaking and behaving that change their identities as physics teachers and learners. We conclude Poster – Benedikt W. Harrer, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469; that the repetition of thinking about how students learn, constructing Tuesday afternoon Tuesday [email protected] interventions, and reflecting on the results of their actions leads LAs to

Michael C. Wittmann, University of Maine converge on certain ways of behaving and talking that are more closely Rachel E. Scherr, Seattle Pacific University aligned with the goals of the LA program. We hypothesize that pedagogical concepts such as formative assessment and dialogic discourse made avail- Modern middle school science curricula use group activities to help able through the pedagogy course assist greatly in students’ convergence on students express their thinking and enable them to work together like desired practices. scientists. We are studying rural eighth-grade science classrooms using materials on energy. Even after spending several months with the same curriculum on other physics topics, students’ engagement in group activi- PST2A70: 6:45-7:30 p.m. The Effects of ICT and Cooperative ties seems to be restricted to creating lists of words that are associated with Learning in Thermodynamics energy. Though research suggests that children have rich and potentially Poster – David DM Méndez, Universidad Internacional de La Rioja, Avda valuable ideas about energy, our students don’t seem to spontaneously use Gran Via Rey, Juan Carlos I, 41 Logroño, NY 26002, Spain; david.mendez@ and express their ideas in the classroom. Only within or after certain inter- unir.net actions with a teacher do students begin to explore and share these ideas. We present and characterize examples of student-teacher interactions re- This teaching research has the objective to show a comparison between sulting in students’ deeper engagement with their ideas about energy. This traditional methodology, ICT and cooperative learning with 14-year-old preliminary analysis of video-recorded classroom dialog is a step toward students in thermodynamics. This study was motivated by the failure of helping teachers improve their students’ learning about energy. students at these ages. We had 93 students divided in three homogenous *Supported in part by NSF DUE 0962805 groups: one group follows traditional methodology, another cooperative learning, and the third ICT. The teacher explained concepts of density, PST2A67: 6-6:45 p.m. Switching Behavior in the Peer pressure, volume, temperature, and heat. We investigated alternative conceptions, verified the homogeneity of the groups, measured motivational Instruction Classroom change generated by these methodologies and the learning of theory, ex- Poster – Kelly A. Miller, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138-3800; ercises and problems at the end of the explanations. The results brought us United States [email protected] to the conclusion that traditional teaching did not motivate and can even demotivate, ICT and cooperative learning caused a positive motivational Julie Schell, Harvard University

116 change in the attitude of students toward thermodynamics; the results Kendra E. Sheaffer, Penn State Altoona of cooperative learning were the best, followed by the results of the ICT Compare and contrast strategies may be used to facilitate students’ iden- students. Traditional methodology results came in the third. tification of important information within problems (Chi et. Al., 1981; Jonassen, 2000). As part of a larger study students enrolled in a spring PST2A72: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Using a Roller Coaster to Teach 2011, algebra-based physics course were asked to choose the two problems Physics: A PBL Implementation* they found to be the most similar in each of their weekly homework assignments. The two problems selected were then explicitly compared and Poster – Aaron M. Adair, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210; contrasted in writing. The written statements were then collected by the [email protected] researchers and divided by clause topics and further categorized into levels Jing Han, Lei Bao, Ohio State University of epistemic reasoning. Emergent trends regarding how students’ level of epistemic reasoning changes throughout the semester and how the physics Project-based learning (PBL) methods are effective means of instruction, context may elicit variance in the observable epistemic reasoning will be but they are not yet widely used in physics teaching, let alone taking into discussed. account the results of PER. Here we present a curriculum that uses the construction of a roller coaster to teach students the concepts of centripetal force, potential energy, linear and rotational kinetic energy, as well as PST2A76: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Validating a Short Hydrostatics considerations of energy loss through friction. Lab sessions are designed to Assessment have students encounter concepts students are likely to be mistake about. Poster – Ying Chen, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66502; cying@ We provide two versions of this sort of instruction: a more guided lab cur- phys.ksu.edu riculum, and a more open lab curriculum. Not only can these versions of PBL labs be useful for interested instructors, but they can be instrumental Eleanor Sayre, Kansas State University in helping teachers develop their own PBL curricula. As part of a large investigation into when students learn and forget intro- *Supported in part by NIH Award RC1RR028402 and NSF Awards DUE-0633473 ductory physics topics, we are developing a short survey on hydrostatics. and DUE-1044724. The survey focuses on students’ understanding of Archimedes’ principle and Pascal’s law. In this poster, we report on early validation interviews PST2A73: 6-6:45 p.m. Using Community Expertise to Enhance with introductory calculus-based physics students using a think-aloud Curricular Reform and Professional Development* protocol, and the modifications to the survey items which result.

Poster – Dedra N. Demaree, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331; PST2A77: 6-6:45 p.m. Writing and Evaluating Explanations in [email protected] a Large Enrollment Physics Course* Wendi Wampler, David Bannon, Oregon State University Poster – Fred Goldberg, San Diego State University, CRMSE, San Diego, CA Oregon State University (OSU) is working on an NSF-funded collaboration 92120; [email protected] with a range of faculty within OSU and two local Community Colleges. The overall purpose of this project is three-fold: to better coordinate our Edward Price, Paul Heft, California State University at San Marcos introductory courses, to develop and share the best of our curricular activi- Scott Patterson San Diego State University ties, and to document the shared knowledge in a way that helps incoming/

rotating instructors adopt the courses. We are developing a community We are currently adapting the small enrollment, discussion and lab-based of practitioners with a shared vocabulary and refined discourse on cur- Physics and Everyday Thinking (PET) curriculum for large enrollment Tuesday afternoon ricular issues. One method used in the project is having an observer in classes populated mainly by prospective elementary teachers. The new the classroom, which all community members feel is highly valuable. We curriculum is called Learning Physics (LEP). To maintain PET’s focus on have extended this model to peer teaching where neither teacher is viewed some important practices of science, we have students engage in the prac- as the expert; this holds promise for an authentic model of professional tice of writing and evaluating explanations. Students do this online, using development. This poster will outline the main project goals, our model for the Calibrated Peer Review (CPR) system developed at UCLA. After the community and professional development, and our outcomes to date. instructor develops the explanation tasks, the students write their own explanations, practice evaluating “calibrated” explanations, and then evaluate *This work is supported by an NSF CCLI Phase 1 grant. three of their peer’s explanations as well as their own. In our poster we will briefly describe the components of the CPR system, some of the explana- PST2A74: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Using Eye-Trackers to Study Student tion tasks we have developed for the LEP course, and our initial analysis of Attention During Physical Science Lectures how the process is going. *Supported by NSF grant 1044172 Poster – David Rosengrant, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA 30144; [email protected] Bonnie Stacey, Elizabeth Carroll, Kennesaw State University B - Introductory Courses This study investigates the gaze patterns of pre-service elementary education students in their physical science lecture. Our goal is to better understand the relationships between gaze patterns and student attention PST2B01: 6-6:45 p.m. Adapting the AAPT Photo Contest to during class. If we better understand what keeps our students’ attention or the Classroom what distracts them, then we can have increased attention which increases what they learn. To accomplish this task, we used a portable eye-tracker: Poster – Sytil Murphy, Shepherd University, Shepherdstown, WV 25443; Tobii Glasses. These glasses eliminate the need for subjects to focus on a [email protected] computer screen or carry around a backpack-sized recording device. We The AAPT High School Physics Photo Contest (HSPPC) is designed to are able to record what a person sees, what they say or hear, and most give high school students and their teachers the opportunity to explore, importantly where they are looking. This investigation includes when, for both written and pictorially. Students in introductory physics and physical how long,and what students focus on in the classroom (i.e. demonstra- science courses often do not see how the physics they are learning is pres- tions, instructor, notes, board work, and presentations) during a normal ent in their everyday lives. By adapting the HSPPC to an extra credit proj- lecture. The results are the initial data analysis of a year-long study over ect in my introductory physics and physical science courses, my students two separate semesters. were able to explore the physics around them. As in the HSPPC, students submitted a picture with an accompanying written explanation. Photos and PST2A75: 6-6:45 p.m. Using Student Provided Problem explanations were judged on both their physics content and artistic merit. Comparisons to Observe Epistemic Reasoning Trends

Poster – Frances A. Mateycik, Penn State Altoona, Altoona, PA 16601; [email protected] July 28–August 1, 2012 117 PST2B02: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Distraction in the Classroom: Digital showing contrasts in students’ experiences, (e.g., in physics vs. non-physics Devices and Student Performance courses). 1. R. Larson and M. Csikszentmihalyi, “Validity and Reliability of the Experience- Poster – Bethany R. Wilcox, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80302; Sampling Method”. J Nerv Ment Dis.,175(9):526-36 (1987). [email protected] Douglas Duncan, Angel R. Hoekstra, University of Colorado at Boulder PST2B06: 6:45-7:30 p.m. LEAP – A Learner-Centered The recent increase in use of digital devices such as laptop computers, Environment for Algebra-based Physics iPads, and web-enabled cell phones has generated concern about how technologies affect student performance. Combining observation, survey, and Poster – Paula V. Engelhardt, Tennessee Technological University, interview data, we assess the effects of technology use on student learning. Cookeville, TN 38505; [email protected] We report initial data, gathered in eight large introductory science courses, Steve J. Robinson, Tennessee Technological University showing a significant negative correlation between in-class phone use This poster will focus on the curriculum development work that we have and final grades, with use of cell phones corresponding to a drop of 0.36 1 been doing with our algebra-based course sequence. LEAP is part of an +/- 0.08 on a 4-point scale. These findings are consistent with research NSF-funded grant (DUE-0737324) that is guided by research on student suggesting students cannot multitask effectively. While 75% of students learning in physics and builds on the work of the NSF-supported project, reported regular cell phone use, systematic in-class observations suggest Physics for Everyday Thinking (PET). Students work in groups to develop undergraduates typically under-report the frequency of their use of digital their understanding of various physics phenomena including forces, devices. In addition, we report findings from our current research, which energy, electricity and magnetism, light and optics. Students utilize hands- attempts to replicate our initial findings in six additional science courses. on experiments and computer simulations to provide evidence to support 1. E.Ophir, C.Nass, & A.D. Wagner, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 106, 15583-15587 their conceptual learning. Traditional problem solving is scaffolded by using the S.E.N.S.E. problem solving strategy. An overview of the curriculum PST2B03: 6-6:45 p.m. Group Quizzes as an Assessment that and assessment results will be presented. Supports Learning PST2B07: 6-6:45 p.m. Mathematical Models in Introductory Poster – Joss Ives, University of the Fraser Valley, Abbotsford, British Colum- bia, V2S 7M8 Canada; [email protected] Physics and Physical Models in Calculus These group quizzes, facilitated by the Immediate Feedback Assessment Poster – Natalia Schkolnikov, Hampton University, Hampton, VA 23668; Technique (multiple-choice scratch and win sheets), are written immedi- [email protected] ately following quizzes that were written individually by the students. The Michael Ganzburg, Hampton University individual portion of the quiz allows for a portion of the student’s marks to be based on individual achievement. The group portion allows for student We discuss interaction between mathematics and physics in introductory learning and plenty of student celebration. My implementation of these physics and calculus courses taught at Hampton University. Often students quizzes will be detailed along with preliminary measures of student learn- from underrepresented groups in science and engineering feel discon- ing at three times: at the time that the group quiz was written, during the nected from physics and mathematics, because they do not see hidden next class period, and on the final exam. relations between physical and mathematical laws and real world problems. We report on our efforts to overcome insufficient mathematical skills of some students in introductory physics courses by introducing simplified PST2B04: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Implementation of Active Learning mathematical models of physical processes and connecting them to topics Methodologies in Introductory Physics* from various areas of science and technology, such as space exploration, signal processing, and biomedical sciences. On the other hand, we discuss Poster – Hugo Alarcon, Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria, Av. Es- our attempts to animate calculus symbolism by immersing limits, deriva- pana 1680 Valparaiso, 2340000 Chile; [email protected] tives, and integrals into physical models of motion, work, and electricity. Gonzalo Fuster, Claudio Figueroa Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria The Universidad Tecnica Federico Santa Maria is a well-known Chilean PST2B08: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Team Teaching: Benefits for institution focused on educating engineers. All students entering college Instructors and Students in Introductory Physics must take Introduction to Physics, which is prior to a traditional introduc- Tuesday afternoon Tuesday tory mechanics course. This course is centered on developing basic tools Poster – Krista E. Wood, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45140;

that will serve the student in subsequent calculus-based physics courses, [email protected] such as problem- solving skills. Recently the course has been redesigned Joseph S. Gallagher, University of Cincinnati to incorporate methodologies that promote active learning, such as peer instruction, collaborative activities, similar to Washington tutorials, and It’s summer and an introductory physics course needs to be offered. You context-rich problems. To do this, professors have been trained extensively don’t want to teach all summer, but think students need a full term to in both methodologies and classroom management in the SCALE-UP digest the material. What about sharing a class with a colleague? Could environment. They have also had to design the concept tests and the it work? This poster will highlight the successes and challenges of team context-rich problems according to the course program. In this work we teaching an introductory physics course during a summer term. We will present the strategy used to achieve an early implementation and the will discuss the benefits two physics instructors experienced by working results. together to teach a summer introductory physics course. The planning *This work has been supported by the Government of Chile through the grant process encouraged substantial reflection on how to teach the course and MECESUP FSM-1106 and FSM-0802. learning from one another. The students benefited from similar teaching styles, yet different perspectives. We will also discuss lessons learned and opportunities to improve. PST2B05: 6-6:45 p.m. Investigating Students’ Affective Experience in Introductory Physics Courses PST2B09: 6-6:45 p.m. Pre Course Student Curiosity Questions Poster – Jayson M. Nissen, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469; jayson. as Motivators for Class Lessons* [email protected] Poster – Katrina M. Hay, Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, WA 98447; Jon T. Shemwell, MacKenzie R. Stetzer, University of Maine [email protected] Improving non-cognitive outcomes such as attitudes, efficacy, and persis- Carolina C. Ilie, State University of New York Oswego tence in physics courses is an important goal in physics education. This investigation implemented an in-the-moment surveying technique called Truth seeking is the foundation of science. Investigation and observa- the Experience Sampling Method (ESM)1 to measure students’ affective tion involve asking questions. As physics teachers, one of our goals is to experience in physics. Measurements included: self esteem, cognitive train our students to ask good questions. In seven physics classes, mostly efficiency, activation, intrinsic motivation and affect. Data are presented 118 calculus-based introductory level, students were asked to digitally submit work in which students could address the mutual integration between a “curiosity question about the natural world” before they attended the mathematical and physical aspects experimentally facing the analysis of the first class session. A collection of these unrestrained questions can be used phenomenology. With the aim of investigating how high school students throughout the term directly in class lessons, as inspiration in continued face experimental situations in which the phenomenology grounds the learning and to make interdisciplinary connections. In addition, the ques- theory and the mathematics offers its formalism as the best language to de- tions reveal student passions and motivators. scribe the explored phenomena, an activity concerning the pseudovectorial *Website where a list of past student questions can be found: http://www.plu. nature of the magnetic field was performed in a course held in the context edu/~haykm/Curiosity_Campaign.html of a summer school for skilled students. The focus of the research was on the ways in which the students’ reasoning evolves, addressing the property PST2B10: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Team Re-testing as an Alternative to of symmetry of the magnetic field in a proposed situation. The results of Post Exam Review this experimentation will be presented and discussed. Poster – Richard Zajac, Kansas State University-Salina, Salina, KS 67401; PST2C02: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Summer School on Modern Physics [email protected] for Talented Students Spending lecture time going over an exam after your students have taken it can feel like a waste of class time. Students’ lack of engagement in such Poster – Marisa Michelini, Physics Section of DCFA - University of Udine, Via reviews suggests the need for an alternative way to revisit and reinforce Delle Scienze, 208 Udine, IT 33100 Italy; [email protected] important content. In lieu of such post exam reviews, for the past several Sri P. Challapalli, CIRD University of Udine semesters we have tried having students re-take unit exams within small Giuseppe Fera, Emanuele Pugliese, Alessandra Mossenta, Physics Section teams following their individual exam in an introductory physics course. DCFA - University of Udine The particular scheme employed allows more useful data to be collected to monitor student gains, assess course outcomes, and ultimately to evaluate To support the motivation of talented students is a task often disregarded the merits of this method. Collected student feedback is presented and by the school today. In the IDIFO3 project—”Innovation in Physics intriguing performance trends are analyzed. Less formally, it is recognized Teaching and Guidance,” the Physics Education Research Unit (PERU) of that team re-testing can provide students some additional gratification on the University of Udine in Italy has designed and implemented a national an emotional level. biennial summer school, in its third edition in 2011. The summer school provides the basic foundation for the construction of formal thinking, interpretation of phenomena, design of a reasoning path, and providing an PST2B11: 6-6:45 p.m. Using Tracker for the Determination of overall conceptual framework about important aspects on various of topics Coefficients of Friction of Modern Physics, such as quantum mechanics, relativity, superconductivity, electromagnetism and condensed matter physics. A group of 40 Poster – Norely Useche-Baron,* IED Leonardo Posada Pedraza, Diagonal students with the highest marks in physics from different schools all over 2B 82 30 int 4 ap 114, Bogotá, 0000; Colombia; [email protected] the Italy were selected to explore and experience these new terms in mod- Cristian Otero-Carrillo, IED Leonardo Posada Pedraza ern physics during an intensive week. The characteristics of the activities As a project of the course of dynamics, a student raises questions for his or proposed and learning outcomes performed at three different levels such her peers to be answered individually by each student in the form of pre- as for students, teachers, and university researchers based on the Inquired diction, including an experimental approach to determine coefficients of Based Learning (IBL) work sheets will be presented.

friction between different materials. Groups of three students discuss their Tuesday afternoon answers and give solutions to the questions and propose an experiment to PST2C03: 6-6:45 p.m. Mass in Classical and Relativistic determine the coefficients of static and dynamic friction. Eventually they Physics for Talented Students develop the experience suggested by the course, and the videos are taken and analyzed with Tracker. Poster – Alberto Stefanel, University of Udine, Chemistry, Physics and *Sponsor: Fabian Martinez-Velandia Environment Department, Via Delle Scienze, 206 Udine, Italy 33100; alberto. [email protected] PST2B12: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Think Your Students’ Math Skills Emanuele Pugliese, University of Udine Are Bad? Well, They’re Worse! In summer school IDIFO3 (Udine, 2011) both construction of and deepen- ing into fundamental concepts of modern physics were proposed to high Poster – Robert A. Cohen, East Stroudsburg University, East Stroudsburg, PA school talented students. A tutorial was made up, in which inertial and 18301; [email protected] gravitational meanings were scanned according Newton and Mach. Proper Mary Anne L. Moore, Jeffery Spirko, East Stroudsburg University time and 4-displacement allowed the definition of quadrimomentum We have examined the basic math skills of our students and found that through analogy reasoning. Relativistic kinetic energy was defined through a significant population have never understood fractions (e.g., which is expansion of the temporal component in the Newtonian limit. Mass was bigger: 5/7 or 8/9). We will discuss the implications for physics, especially conceptually extended to relativity by means of rest-energy concept. The in regard to how these students have managed to pass math and physics ways of looking at mass as well as the scientific meanings produced in stu- courses (some up to calculus) and what we can do to address their weak- dents were analyzed, also considering the “quantity of matter.” Relativistic nesses. mass was inquired separately, as an important spin-off. The analysis of data gave information about pupils’ learning of mass-energy equivalence and allowed to recognize five physical representations of mass known in C – Special Programs for High Perform- literature.1 ing High School Students 1. A. Domenéch et al (1993), International Journal of Science Education, 15, 163-173. PST2C04: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Teaching and Learning PST2C01: 6-6:45 p.m. High School Students, Magnetic Field Superconductivity in Secondary School and its Nature of Pseudovector Poster – Alberto Stefanel, Research Unit in Physics Education, DCFA, Poster – Stefano Vercellati, Physics Education Research Unit, University of University of Udine, Via Delle Scienze, 206 Udine, IT 33100 Italy; alberto. Udine, Via Delle Scienze, 208 Udine, UD 33100 Italy; stefano.vercellati@ [email protected] uniud.it Marisa Michelini, Lorenzo Santi, University of Udine Marisa Michelini, Lorenzo G. Santi, Physics Education Research Unit, Uni- versity of Udine Nowadays superconductivity can be brought into the educational laboratory both for qualitative exploration, and measurements with sensors The analysis of the nature of the magnetic field offers the ideal frame- interfaced to the computer. A research educational path of superconductivity for the high school level was designed. It adopts an inquiry-based July 28–August 1, 2012 119 approach that involves students in problem-solving activities to construct As part of an NSF grant, new lab experiences are being developed in a a phenomenological description of superconductivity. The focus of the variety of areas, including wind and geothermal energy. A MET station was proposal is the exploration of the Meissner effect using the conceptual installed in order to provide students with wind speed and direction data tools of electromagnetism. To account for the superconducting transition, to use to assess the potential for energy production. A 2.0 kW Skystream a qualitative introduction of the Cooper pair formation and related gap in turbine was installed on the edge of the Gustavus campus which will enable the superconductor energy levels is also proposed to the students. Research students to get some experience working with a small turbine. In order to was carried out using experimentations tutorial worksheets in Italian test the effectiveness of ground source geothermal, an experimental loop secondary schools. From monitoring tools analysis used in the experimen- was installed under Gustavus’ new West Mall. The temperature at various tation, it is possible to document the educational activity carried out with distances from the loop is measured to allow students to determine how students, their main difficulties and their main learning results for what well the ground acts as a reservoir. In addition, a “sprinkler system” was in- concerns the magnetic property of the superconductor, how students link stalled to allow the water content of the ground near the loop to be altered the magnetic property of a superconductor and the electric properties of it, so that students can explore its effect. and construct model on superconductivity. *Sponsor: Charles Niederriter

D – Post Deadline Posters PST2D05: 6-6:45 p.m. Inspiring Black Women Physicists Poster – Katemari Rosa, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, PST2D01: 6-6:45 p.m. Biofuels: Production and Quantification NY 10027; [email protected] Methods for Undergraduate Laboratories The underrepresentation of women in STEM fields is a well-known issue. However, there is a particular group, namely Black women, that are even Poster – Kevin Clark,* Gustavus Adolphus College, Saint Peter, MN 56082; more underrepresented and often times have their struggles neglected. [email protected], [email protected] Black women in STEM fields experience what is called a double subordina- Amy Audette, Colleen Jacks, Jeff Jeremiason, Dwight Stoll, Gustavus tion because they face the hurdles women in science experience in addition Adolphus College to the challenges Black people face. This study will focus on Black women Ethanol and biodiesel are alternative energy sources currently being in physics, one of the fields with the smallest women representation. As explored as viable substitutes for petroleum fuels. Novel ethanol produc- part of a larger biographical study, this poster will address what do women tion methods involving modification of gene expression to alter metabo- physicists of African descent identify as obstacles and opportunities in lism of Escherichia coli have been developed and are a major focus of this their career paths. Analyzing the narrative of a successful Black woman research. Potential for undergraduate laboratory exercises based on the physicists, within a critical race theory framework, we will discuss the analysis of E. coli fermentation products for ethanol content have been in- strategies that she used to overcome these obstacles and what supported vestigated. An outline of GC-FID determination of ethanol concentrations these opportunities. in E. coli fermentation products is presented. Biodiesel is an alternative energy source composed of long-chain fatty acid esters produced by the PST2D07: 6-6:45 p.m. A Mechanical Analog of Nuclear transesterification of methanol or ethanol and triacylglycerides found in Magnetic Resonance plant oils. Production and quantification of fatty acid esters is the second major focus of this research, specifically those produced from ethanol. Poster – Mark F. Masters, IPFW, Fort Wayne, IN 46805; [email protected] Development of a two-dimensional gas chromatography system (GCxGC) Srikanth Dasari, Gregory Adams, IPFW capable of performing complex separations involving fuel blends was initi- In our modern physics laboratory sequence, we use “Tracks” in which the ated. A laboratory method utilizing GCxGC is outlined. students perform a series of related investigations that build on each other. *Sponsor: Charles Niederriter Typically a track has at least one investigation that is a mechanical analog of a modern physics investigation. One of those tracks is Nuclear Magnetic PST2D02: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Comparison of Two Methods for Resonance (NMR). The apparatus in this investigation is typically a black Characterizing Quantum Dot Size box system in which it is difficult to visualize what is physically happen- ing. Using a spherical Neodymium magnet in an air-bearing and two sets Poster – Joseph F. Kozminski, Lewis University, Romeoville, IL 60446; of Helmholtz coils to provide guide and excitation fields we are able to [email protected] mechanically simulate NMR.

Tuesday afternoon Tuesday Russell Johnson, John Ephriam, Jason J. Keleher, Lewis University Depart-

ment of Chemistry PST2D08: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Employing Joule-like Experiments The size-dependent properties of semiconducting quantum dots (QDs) in Teaching the Concept of Energy make them ideal candidates for tunable absorbers/emitters in a wide range of applications. In the Advanced Lab setting, the size of QDs is typically Poster – Yaron Lehavi, The David Yellin Academic College of Education, approximated using the Effective Mass Approximation (EMA) model to Jerusalem, 93303 Israel; [email protected] relate the absorbance wavelength to the bandgap separation of the semi- Bat-Sheva Eylon, Weizmann Institute, Israel conducting nanoparticle. While the EMA model has proven effective in approximating QD size, it does not provide information about the overall Joule’s famous series of experiments are claimed to demonstrate the hydrodynamic radius of the QDs, which is highly dependent on the cap- equivalence between what he called heat and other phenomena: chemical, ping agents used to stabilize the particles. Longer chain or bulkier capping electrical, electro-magnetic, hydro-dynamical and mechanical. However, agents increase the hydrodynamic radius of the QDs. This work employs despite the latter’s special historical and conceptual importance (Arons, Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) to characterize the hydrodynamic radius 1999; Sichau, 2000), it was excluded from the curricula, symbolizing of QDs prepared in aqueous solution with various capping agents and degradation in the status of energy conservation in physics education reveals the complimentary nature of EMA and light scattering methods to (Robinault, 1998). We developed a low-cost device for measuring energy provide a detailed picture of the QD’s structure. change via temperature measurement, in such processes as change in velocity, height, and shape. The results of the measurements enabled us PST2D03: 6-6:45 p.m. Wind Turbine and Geothermal Lab to arrive empirically to the formulae which relates energy change (e.g. Development change in kinetic energy or gravitational potential energy) to the change in the characterizing parameters of each process (e.g. speed or height). The Poster – Amy Audette,* Gustavus Adolphus College, Saint Peter, MN 56082; implications of such experiments for teaching the concept of energy will be [email protected], [email protected] discussed. Kevin Clark, Charles Niederriter, Jeff Jeremiason, Collen Jacks, Gustavus Adolphus College

120 PST2D09: 6-6:45 p.m. Tutorials in Lab: Building on the Book based physics course to test students’ basic skills in error-propagation. Additionally, students participated in a “think-pair-share” activity Poster – John W. Zwart, Dordt College, Sioux Center, IA 51250; zwart@ during the course. Overall, based on the surveys, students improved, es- dordt.edu pecially in the case where they did not have any misconceptions initially. Kayt E. Frish, Dordt College Qualitative assessment of the think-pair-share activity contrasts with the Tutorials in Introductory Physics1 provides excellent exercises to help results of the post-survey. students develop their conceptual understanding of physics. We have begun to incorporate tutorials in a lab setting, building on a tutorial PST2D15: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Visual Thinking in a First exercise using related lab activities in order to deepen student insights. Two Calculus-based Physics Sequence examples of the lab activities are presented: an expansion of the ?Models Poster – Norma M. Chase, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and for Circuits? tutorials adding batteries in series and parallel while measur- Health Sciences, Boston, MA 02115; [email protected] ing voltages, and a hands-on implementation of the ?Pressure in a Liquid? tutorial where pressure as a function of water depth is measured followed It is essential that students learn to relate verbal and mathematical de- by an exercise in measuring pressure at various locations in a stoppered U scriptions of physics concepts and principles to happenings in the world shaped tube. —sequences of events that they can “see in their mind’s eye.” However, 1. Lillian C. McDermott, Peter S. Shaffer, and the Physics Education Group, Tutorials many students have little or no experience with “visual thinking.” The in Introductory Physics, Prentice Hall, 2002. author has sought to make physics accessible for all students by developing and using a large collection of instructive simulations and videos as PST2D10: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Eye-Gaze Patterns While Interpret- lecture demonstrations and homework assignments. For students who ing Kinematics Graphs have not internalized a vocabulary of visual images, videos play the role of welcoming “foreign film subtitles.” For those possessed of rich Poster – Jennifer L. Docktor, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, La Crosse, visual imaginations, and substantial physics backgrounds, several videos WI 54601; [email protected] provide invitations to delve still deeper. In this poster presentation, the Jose Mestre, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign author will display (screen prints of) selected videos, discuss the use of “video analogies” to facilitate problem solving, and also suggest some Liz Gire, University of Memphis ways to guide students around specific roadblocks in “spatial process- Sanjay Rebello, Kansas State University ing”. Proficient problem solvers are able to interpret and use multiple representations of information (e.g. text, equations, pictures, diagrams, and graphs). PST2D17: 6-6:45 p.m. Why the Third Semester Should be In this study, introductory physics students viewed several kinematics Waves graphs on a computer screen and were asked to select a numbered region of the graph corresponding to a text description of motion. We present an Poster – David H. Kaplan, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, Ed- analysis of subjects’ performance on the items and eye-gaze fixation pat- wardsville, IL 62026; [email protected] terns recorded using an eye tracker. A cause of the relatively high attrition rate of intermediate-level undergraduate physics majors is lack of preparation from already overflowing PST2D11: 6-6:45 p.m. Reforming Teacher Professional introductory courses. Even in basic Modern Physics courses, students

Development in Preparation for the Next Generation are expected, perhaps with rapid piecemeal “coverage,” to under- Science Standards stand and use concepts of wave superposition, completeness, Fourier Tuesday afternoon Bandwidth theorems, Fourier transforms and more. Exacerbating the Poster – Jennifer L. Docktor, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, La Crosse, problem is the implicit demand on students to mentally distinguish the WI 54601; [email protected] new mathematics from the new and novel physics they are learning. Gubbi Sudhakaran, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Not surprisingly, often the result is reversion to memorization without understanding and frustration. The author describes how a dedicated Physical science is frequently identified as an area of weakness for elemen- third-semester course that carefully acclimates the student to how to ap- tary and middle school teachers. We will discuss the design of professional proximate, properties of waves, wave equations, mode expansions, etc., development workshops that integrate the Framework for K-12 Science in a comfortable classical setting, and which provides needed intuition Education and the draft Next Generation Science Standards into activities, on Fourier methods, can significantly help lessen this problem without specifically for the topics of Matter, Force and Motion, and Energy. Materi- sacrificing efficiency in the overall program. He also discusses what such als were developed as part of a project funded by a U.S. Department of a course should include. Education Math Science Partnerships Program grant through the Wiscon- sin Department of Public Instruction. PST2D18: 6:45-7:30 p.m. From Rube Goldberg to Reuben’s PST2D12: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Teaching Physics Through NASA Tube: Science Alive in Videos

Satellite Imagery Poster – Kenneth DeNisco, 1 HACC Dr., Harrisburg, PA 17110; krdenisc@ Poster – Susan Kelly, NASA Education Ambassador, Bridgewater, CT 06752; hacc.edu [email protected] For this poster presentation, a number of YouTube video clips will be A wide variety of NASA remote-sensed images are freely available online. shown on the iPad, along with a display of screen shots and accompany- These images can be used as a platform to present a variety of secondary- ing PowerPoint slides for classroom use. Two Rube Goldberg videos are level physics topics. Analysis of satellite images through open source soft- particularly useful for demonstrating multiple physic principles, includ- 1 ware provides opportunities for students to calculate velocity of hurricanes ing kinematics —“The Cog” by Honda , and “This Too Shall Pass” by the 2 3 and melting rate of polar ice. NASA Landsat images invite opportunities band OKGo. The Ruben’s Tube video is excellent for helping students for students to practice unit conversions and analyze the characteristics as- to visualize standing wave patterns through the use of propane flames. sociated with different wavelengths. Samples of classroom-tested activities Since the actual device is somewhat dangerous and difficult to build, a and corresponding online resources will be presented. video clip provides an easy classroom substitute. 1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ve4M4UsJQo PST2D14: 6-6:45 p.m. Assessing Student Learning of Error 2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8w Propagation in the Undergraduate Lab 3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpovwbPGEoo

Poster – Brent W. Barker, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824- 1321; [email protected] A pre- and post- survey was conducted during an introductory calculus-

July 28–August 1, 2012 121 PST2D19: 6-6:45 p.m. Earthquake Physics: Understanding Earthquake Interaction by Listening to Seismic Data

Poster – Chastity Aiken, Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, Atlanta, GA 30332; [email protected] Zhigang Peng, Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Earth & Atmo- spheric Sciences One earthquake can influence subsequent earthquakes. To demonstrate such earthquake interactions, seismologists have used in the past “snapshot” static images of seismograms. Although static images can, by themselves, convey basic information about the spatial distribution of earthquakes, adding auditory information could help to provide additional details on the temporal evolution of the earthquake sequences. Recently, we have used standard tools such as MATLAB and Quick Time Pro to produce animations with time-compressed sounds to demonstrate both immediate aftershocks and remotely triggered tremors related to the 2011 magnitude 9.0 Tohoku-Oki, Japan, earthquake. Here we show our development in this direction that includes multiple parameters of earthquakes and seismic waves to present the physical concepts of earthquake trigger- ing.

PST2D20: 6:45-7:30 p.m. Managing Large-Scale Introductory Labs Be astounded by fantastic physics Poster – Larry Bortner, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0011; [email protected] demonstrations and effects put on by Problems arise as the number of sections of a lab course increase. These The Third Eye. Open to all! include the large variability of grading styles among instructors and the constant or dwindling population of instructors to teach more and more classes. Traditional assessments of quizzes and lab reports are used in the Tuesday, July 31 physics labs taught at the University of Cincinnati. A nontraditional assessment, techniques used to promote fair and balanced grading, and various 9 - 10 p.m. methods used to decrease instructor workload will be presented. Inn at Penn - Woodlands Ballroom

Call for Nominations The AAPT Awards Committee is seeking nominations for the following Awards. All AAPT members are urged to review the descriptions of these awards on the AAPT website and Tuesday afternoon Tuesday

then, following instructions available at a link on that website, to nominate individuals deemed worthy of consideration for any of these awards. The Nomination Form is at http://www.aapt.org/Programs/awards/.

Robert A. Millikan Medal Richtmyer Memorial Award Paul W. Zitzewitz Excellence in Pre-College Physics Oersted Medal John David Jackson Excellence in Teaching Award Graduate Education Award Melba Newell Phillips Medal AAPT Distinguished Service David Halliday and Robert Resnick Citations Paul E. Klopsteg Klopsteg Excellence in Undergraduate Memorial Award Physics Teaching Award

122

Session FA: Bridge Experiences: Increasing Participation of Underrep- Wednesday, August 1 resented Minorities in Doctoral Highlights Education Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom I Sponsor: Committee on Graduate Education in Physics REGISTRATION 8 a.m.–3 p.m. HH - Reading Room Date: Wednesday, August 1 Great Book Giveaway & Time: 8:30–10 a.m. Winter Meeting 2013 – New Orleans Kick-off Presider: Renee Michelle Goertzen 10:30–11 a.m. HH - Reading Room Awards 11 a.m.–12:15 p.m. Inn at Penn FA01: 8:30-9 a.m. APS Bridge Program: Enhancing Diversity Philip Sadler – Millikan Medal, “Separating Facts From in Physics Graduate Education Fads: How Our Choices Impact Students’ Performance Invited – Theodore Hodapp, American Physical Society, College Park, MD 20740; [email protected] and Persistence in Physics” Peter Muhoro, American Physical Society AAPT Distinguished Service Citations Underrepresented minorities in physics receive about 9-10% of all under- AIP Children’s Science Writing Award graduate degrees, and only about 5-6% of all PhDs. To bring the fraction of students who receive PhDs up to that of those who receive bachelor degrees requires understanding and overcoming the various barriers. The CrackerBarrels, 12:15–1:15 p.m. American Physical Society (APS), in conjunction with a broad coalition of partners, is embarking in a long-term effort aimed at closing this gap, and –Do We Have Standards? HH - Class of 49 improving graduate education for all students. In this presentation, we will discuss the basic components of the program, look at data we know, and –For Faculty in Small Departments IA - Amado discuss data we hope to gather to inform and promote these efforts. –For PER Graduate Students CCH - Terrace

FA02: 9-9:30 a.m. The Imes-Moore Fellows Program: A New Bridge Program at the University of Michigan Aimed COMMITTEE MEETINGS to Enhanced Diversity in Applied Physics Programs II 7-8:30 a.m. Sheraton - Chestunt Invited – Cagliyan Kurdac, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1120; COGS 7-8:30 a.m. IA - G01 [email protected] Nominating II 12:15-1:15 p.m. IA - G01 The Applied Physics Program at the University of Michigan allows graduate students to do research at the frontier between the physical sciences Bauder 12:15-1:15 p.m. IA - G7 and technological applications, which is not readily accommodated by Audit 12:15-1:30 p.m. IA - G16 traditional single-focus graduate programs. In the last two decades, the program has attracted many underrepresented minority and female students, matched these students with faculty with research programs that are beyond the traditional boundaries of physics, and provided the PHYsics Education Resource Conference support structure and mentorship that was needed for the students to suc- Banquet, 6:30 p.m. Sheraton - Ben Franklin ceed. Building on our success, we have recently launched a master’s bridge program, the Imes-Moore Fellows Program, designed to prepare students Poster Session, 8:30 p.m. HH - Hall of Flags from underrepresented groups for doctoral studies in applied physics. The program has currently seven graduate students and is fully integrated with our doctoral program. In this talk, I will discuss some of the challenges and opportunities associated with starting a master’s bridge program.

FA03: 9:30-10 a.m. Fisk/Vanderbilt Master’s to PhD Bridge Program

Invited – David J. Ernst, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235; [email protected] Keivan Stassun, Arnold Berger, Kelly Holley-Bockelmann, Vanderbilt Univer- sity KEY: IA = Irvine Auditorium The salient features of the Fisk/Vanderbilt Master’s to PhD Bridge Program HH = Houston Hall in physics, astronomy, materials science, chemistry, and biology will be presented. The program will this year make Vanderbilt the number one CCH = Claudia Cohen Hall producer of African-American PhDs in physics, astronomy, and materials science and has made Fisk University the number one producer of master’s degrees awarded to African-Americans. Our recruiting plan will be described, as well as the concept of “unrealized potential” used in selecting students. The necessity of intensive mentoring and how to fulfill that need will be presented. Sources of funding for the program will be reviewed, and some thoughts on future directions for the program will be presented.

July 28–August 1, 2012 123 Session FB: PER: Investigating Class- The LivePhoto Physics Group has begun developing and evaluating a series of short single topic video expositions for introductory students room Strategies II that incorporate video analysis activities. These vignettes are designed for web delivery as ungraded exercises to supplement textbook reading, or Location: HH - Class of 49 serve as pre-lecture or pre-laboratory activities. Each vignette combines Date: Wednesday, August 1 narration, a real-world video segment, and video analysis tools designed Time: 8:30–10:30 a.m. to enable students to master concepts or learn data collection and analysis techniques. As part of this work the team is developing new techniques for Presider: Beth Lindsey web-based educational research that allows for the collection of data on student learning and motivation. Details of the interactive video vignette for projectile motion will be presented along with results of a pilot study FB01: 8:30-8:40 a.m. Using Time-on-Task Measurements to that investigated the efficacy of techniques for motivating students to com- understand Introductory Physics Classes plete the vignette. The study involved multiple sections of calculus- and algebra-based physics courses across several institutions. Contributed – John C. Stewart, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR *Work supported by the NSF TUES Program (DUE #1123118 & 1122828). 72701; [email protected] A 10-year study of how students use their out-of-class time in an introduc- FB05: 9:10-9:20 a.m. Clicker Engagement in Introductory and tory physics class is presented. The study is used to evaluate the extent to upper-Division Physics Courses which a student’s performance on hourly exams or on conceptual inven- tories is predictable by his or her study habits. The correlation of good Contributed – Patrick B. Kohl, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401; study habits with good performance is evaluated. The study tracks student [email protected] behavior through a major curricular revision to determine the extent to Todd G. Ruskell, Vince H. Kuo, Colorado School of Mines which student habits react to changes in a physics class. The study also investigates the role of technical changes such as the introduction of an Clickers, while perhaps not ubiquitous, have become very common in online homework system and a web-based testing tool on time use. introductory physics classes where the audience is composed of students from a variety of majors. They have also begun to see use in upper-division FB02: 8:40-8:50 a.m. How to Help Students be Prepared for physics courses where the audience is almost entirely physics majors. In this presentation we examine the hypothesis that these substantially the Exam different populations will result in different levels of participation and Contributed – Witat Fakcharoenphol, University of Illinois Urbana-Cham- engagement. We have videotaped the audiences of two introductory phys- paign, Urbana, IL 61801; [email protected] ics courses and two junior-level physics courses (mechanics and E&M in both cases) during clicker questions and quantified the level of engage- Computer-based practice exams and immediate feedback with worked out ment in each. Preliminary results suggest that upper-division majors-only solutions can improve the performance on later problems with identical courses exhibit more peer-to-peer interaction and overall engagement than solutions. However, immediate feedback and worked out solutions fall introductory courses. short in helping students transfer the conceptual and procedural knowledge to slightly different problems.* Nevertheless, the students who started using our practice exam at least two days before the exam performed better FB06: 9:20-9:30 a.m. Fostering and Assessing Student Self- on the real exam than students who started and completed our practice directed Learning in a Physics Class exam later, especially on the problem types they missed on the practice Contributed – Yuhfen Lin, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33133; exam. This suggests that the practice exam can provide formative assess- [email protected] ment to students, but the feedback system has to be adjusted. One possible feedback system might be providing students personal tutors and enough David T. Brookes, Florida International University time to improve. We did a preliminary clinical study on a series of practice The ability to learn on one’s own could be one of the most valuable skills exams with tutors to quantify the possible help from tutors. any student can acquire in school. In physics, students generally expect to * Phys. Rev. ST Physics Ed. Research 7, 010107 (2011) be taught, or they don’t believe that they can learn without the instructor’s help. Due to their lack of confidence in physics, when students are given FB03: 8:50-9 a.m. Investigating Student Interaction with the opportunity to learn on their own, they often give up without trying. smartphysics, A New Online Homework System For instructors who are interested in getting students to self-direct their learning, it is important to provide both extra motivation and matching Contributed – Noah Schroeder, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, assessment to encourage students to take on the challenge. In this talk, we Urbana, IL 61801; [email protected] will show how building a learning community can lower student resistance Gary Gladding, Tim Stelzer, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to instructional reform, at the same time increasing student confidence in their ability to complete difficult tasks. We will also show how we used In the fall of 2010 the University of Illinois implemented a new on- self-directed-learning assessments to both motivate students as well as to line homework system, Smartphysics, for introductory physics classes. assess their progress. Smartphysics includes new features such as instant feedback specialized to unique student mistakes, which can help correct small mathematical mistakes as well as conceptual ones. Another feature is the ability to FB07: 9:30-9:40 a.m. Change Is Hard: Improving the delay feedback on certain questions until after that homework’s deadline, Propagation of Educational Innovations* Wednesday morning Wednesday

acting as an in-the-moment assessment of student performance. This can Contributed – Raina M. Khatri, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI act as formative assessment for students, and might lead to a way to offer 49008; [email protected] students a prediction of their performance on subsequent exams. Results concerning student behavior and the correlation of performance on de- Charles Henderson, Western Michigan University layed feedbacks to other variables will be shown. Renee Cole, University of Iowa Jeff Froyd, Texas A&M University FB04: 9-9:10 a.m. Instructional Strategies that Optimize Although there are many talented people developing new ways of teaching student Use of Interactive Video Vignettes* undergraduate science more effectively, these innovations are not being Contributed – Kathleen M. Koenig, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH used as widely as they should be. We are at the early stages of a larger effort 45247; [email protected] designed to help curriculum developers incorporate propagation strategies from the beginning of their projects. To understand which strategies work Robert Teese, Rochester Institute of Technology best for certain projects, we have spoken with NSF program directors and David Jackson, Dickinson College

124 analyzed responses to a survey of NSF-funded curriculum developers. FB11: 10:10-10:20 a.m. Project-based Learning: A Review One finding is that NSF directors have different views from developers and an Implementation* about which propagation strategies are most successful. Developers tend to think of dissemination primarily as “getting the word out” by, for example, Contributed – Aaron M. Adair, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH publishing a paper or giving a conference talk. NSF program directors, 43210; [email protected] however, would like to see more active approaches, such as increasing the Lei Bao, The Ohio State University number and variety of development collaborators and holding workshops. Endeavoring to find effective teaching pedagogies, inquiry methods have *Supported by NSF#1122446. become increasingly popular in PER. Here we review one inquiry method, Project-Based Learning (PBL). The overview includes its foundations, ma- FB08: 9:40-9:50 a.m. Affordances Gained by Teaching Re- jor characteristics, and effectiveness compared to traditional methods. We forms in a Studio Setting find that overall PBL is usually better than traditional teaching, but there are conditions that need to be met for implementing a PBL curriculum Contributed – Wendi N. Wampler, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR successfully. This includes both classroom considerations as well as admin- 97333; [email protected] istration issues. If these problems can be successfully navigated, then PBL David Bannon, Dedra Demaree, Oregon State University has good reason to be more widely implemented. This leads to the next Traditional teaching environments often make it difficult for faculty to stage: building PBL curricula to teach physics. We then discuss a new PBL achieve their instructional goals and to implement reforms. Oregon State curriculum using roller coaster projects to teach physics. University (OSU) introduced a SCALE-UP inspired studio to facilitate *Supported in part by NIH Award RC1RR028402 and NSF Awards DUE-0633473 student-centered, interactive learning for students in the calculus-based and DUE-1044724 . introductory physics courses. This talk will present the affordances gained by faculty members implementing reforms in the studio environment. FB12: 10:20-10:30 a.m. Pedagogical Practices of New Faculty We investigated two instructors: an experienced PER member and an Following Participation in an Intensive Physics Education experienced faculty member taking on new reforms. They were observed Focused Workshop as they taught in both traditional and studio-style classrooms, as well as interviewed throughout the three terms of the calculus-based introductory Contributed – Melissa Dancy, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80305; physics course at OSU. The focus will be on how the studio helps instruc- United States [email protected] tors better align their teaching experiences with their philosophies and Charles Henderson, Western Michigan University goals, as well as how it promotes better teaching habits. In our previous work we interviewed faculty retrospectively about their decision-making regarding research-based reforms. In order to develop a FB09: 9:50-10 a.m. A Framework for Documenting Physics more in-depth understanding we are currently following 15 physics faculty teaching Assistants’ Beliefs and Practices during the change process. We report on interviews of 15 physics faculty pre- and post-semester for the two semesters they taught an introductory Contributed – Benjamin T. Spike, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309- course following their participation in the Physics and Astronomy New 0390; [email protected] Faculty Workshop. All faculty interviewed were in their beginning years as Noah D. Finkelstein, University of Colorado Boulder an instructor and expressed a strong interest in integrating Physics Educa- Physics Teaching Assistants (TAs) in transformed environments are subject tion Research in their teaching practice. In this talk we present an analysis to increased demand to engage with student ideas and support classroom of the research-based instructional practices these faculty implemented, in- norms that may be very different from those they experienced as learners. cluding the ways in which they modified practices and the reasons behind Therefore these environments offer a rich opportunity to examine how their decisions to implement and modify. TAs’ beliefs coordinate with their instructional practices in ways that may either support or inhibit the use of research-based instructional strategies. In this talk we describe the importance of a framework for analyzing TAs’ Session FC: Panel: Multi-Disciplinary beliefs and practices, argue the need for linking these two domains, and present a framework for doing so. Using examples drawn from several se- Based Education Research Groups mesters of TA interviews and classroom videotape, we then show the utility of this framework and describe instances of coordination and incoordina- Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom II Sponsor: Committee on Research in Physics Education tion between TA beliefs and practices.

Co-Sponsor: Committee on Space Science and Astronomy Wednesday morning FB10: 10-10:10 a.m. Pilot Testing of the Modeling Instruction Date: Wednesday, August 1 Time: 8:30–10:30 a.m. Curriculum Presider: Eric Brewe Contributed – Jared L. Durden, Florida International University, Miami, FL Discussant, Jose Mestre 33199; [email protected] Eric Brewe, Florida International University At Florida International University we are developing a curriculum guide Panelists: and set of comprehensive video and digital resources to support the –Warren Christensen, North Dakota State University implementation of Modeling Instruction. In preparation for dissemination –Laird H. Kramer, Florida International University of the curriculum materials and instructor support guide, we pilot tested the curriculum guide. An instructor with no previous experience teaching –Scott V. Franklin, Rochester Inst. of Tech. introductory physics using Modeling Instruction utilized the curriculum –Michael C. Wittmann, University of Maine guide and instructor resources. To better understand how to support –Noah Finkelstein, University of Colorado, Boulder Modeling Instruction curriculum use, we conducted interviews with the instructor during and after the semester. We have identified three types of instructional resources germane to implementing Modeling Instruction. The instructor brought considerable resources based on prior teaching experiences. Several resources were developed during the instruction with assistance of the curriculum materials. Finally, several resources were not developed. We investigate the role that these resources play in instruction and how to structure faculty professional development that supports the development of instructional resources.

July 28–August 1, 2012 125 FD04: 10-10:30 a.m. The Revised MCAT: Implications for Session FD: Reforming the Intro- Physics for the Life Sciences

ductory Physics Course for Life Invited – Robert C. Hilborn, American Association of Physics Teachers, Col- Science Majors VII lege Park, MD 20740; [email protected] In February 2012, the Association of American Medical Colleges released Location: Irvine Auditorium - Amado Recital Hall information on the revised Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) with Sponsor: Committee on Physics in Undergraduate Education the expectation that the new exam will go live in 2015. The revision was Date: Wednesday, August 1 based on recommendations from the report on Scientific Foundations for Time: 8:30–10:30 a.m. Future Physicians (SFFP) and input from medical school and undergraduate faculty members. In this talk, I will describe the revised MCAT and Presider: Juan Burciaga how those revisions and the SFFP recommendations are likely to affect introductory physics courses for the life sciences.

The invited speakers focus on the challenges and problems associ- FD05: 8:30-10:30 a.m. Entropy in Biophysics, Biology, and ated with reforming the introductory physics course for life science research majors. There is a mini-poster session following the invited talks. Poster – Mark Reeves, George Washington University, Washington, DC FD01: 8:30-9 a.m. Quantitative Introductory Science for the 20052; [email protected] next Generation of Life Scientists Rahul Simha, Robert Donaldson, George Washington University Diffusion and entropy are very important for understanding biophysical Invited – Joshua Shaevitz, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544; processes at the cellular level, but students have and maintain very strong [email protected] misconceptions about these two topics. We have developed a first-semester The biological sciences have shifted over time from qualitative observations IPLS course, in which roughly 1/3 of the class time is dedicated to teaching toward more quantitative and physical descriptions of nature. While it is statistical physics, and the students are exposed to biology in a physics clear that the traditional natural sciences of physics and chemistry have context. Students are introduced to statistics by considering simple coins much to contribute to the education of biology students, the conventional flips. We move on from these to large numbers of coins and flips per coin introductory sequences in these disciplines have not been targeted for and thereby to a meaningful physical model by connecting to Java-based the education of modern life scientists. At Princeton University, we have simulations of the random walk problem. Hands-on exercises take this addressed this issue through an experiment called “Integrated Science” further by having the students directly observe entropically driven ag- that comprises a year-long, double course that substitutes for introduc- gregation, Brownian motion, and stochastic and deterministic motion in tory physics and chemistry and focuses on areas that enable mathematical cells. The material that we teach in the IPLS course is followed up in their thinking while making connections to the biological sciences wherever introductory cellular biology course where the physics is retaught in a possible. The course is taught at the level of an honors physics course and biological context. provides an alternative path into multiple majors: physics, chemistry, biology, and computer science. I will describe the curriculum we have FD06: 8:30-10:30 a.m. Are Hybrid Physics Courses as developed and the results we have seen over the past eight years. Effective as Traditional Courses?

FD02: 9-9:30 a.m. Authentic Physical Foundations of Biologi- Poster – Carl Schmiedekamp, Penn State University Abington, Abington, PA 19001; [email protected] cal Functioning – Progress Beyond Relevant Examples An introductory, first semester, algebra-based, physics course was Invited – Nancy L. Beverly, Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522; presented to two course sections during the same semester. This course [email protected] is taken primarily by life-science majors at the university. One section As a sign of recognition that life science students need help with transfer was taught face-to-face. The hybrid section met half as often and utilized and attitude, most algebra-based introductory physics texts now include only face-to-face problem sessions and laboratory exercises. Students in examples with biological or medical context. Typically, these examples are both sections were given the same evaluations, including common exams, add ons to the traditional structure, with its unfortunate default focus on homework and laboratory exercises. The influence of course structure on solving “problems” exemplified by the typical end-of-chapter problems. student learning results is compared. This is particularly inappropriate for the life science student, for whom authentic analysis of real interdisciplinary phenomena utilizing quantitative FD07: 8:30-10:30 a.m. Research on Students’ Interdisciplin- information would be optimal. Despite the complexity of biological sys- ary Reasoning About ATP* tems, the simple models of introductory physics can be used in authentic exploration of the physical foundations of biological processes and medical Poster – Benjamin W. Dreyfus, University of Maryland, College Park, MD functions, in laboratory, classroom, and homework activities. 20742-4111; [email protected] Benjamin D. Geller, Vashti Sawtelle, Chandra Turpen, Edward F. Redish, FD03: 9:30-10 a.m. General Physics for Life Science Majors University of Maryland at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Students’ sometimes contradictory ideas about ATP (adenosine triphos-

Wednesday morning Wednesday phate) and the nature of chemical bonds have been studied in the biology

Invited – Mark Rzchowski, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706; and chemistry education literature, but these topics are rarely part of the [email protected] introductory physics curriculum. We present qualitative data from an The Physics Department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has four introductory physics course for undergraduate biology majors that seeks distinct two semester introductory physics sequences, one of which pri- to build greater interdisciplinary coherence and therefore includes these marily serves Life Science majors. Over the last several years, the Physics topics. In these data, students grapple with the apparent contradiction Department has worked with various Life Science departments and faculty between the energy released when the phosphate bond in ATP is broken to modify the content and pedagogy of this calculus-based general physics and the idea that an energy input is required to break a bond. We see that course. I will discuss our interactions with departments across campus, the students’ perceptions of how each scientific discipline bounds the system input we received from them, resultant revisions to the course, connections of interest can influence how they justify their reasoning about a topic that with Life Sciences during the course, the student experience, and the rela- crosses disciplines. Building interdisciplinary coherence requires attending tive contribution and importance of the different course components. to these interdisciplinary issues, as part of both curriculum design and education research. *Supported by the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (DGE 0750616), NSF-TUES DUE 11-22818, and the HHMI NEXUS grant. 126 FD09: 8:30-10:30 a.m. Introductory Physics Course for Life FD13: 8:30-10:30 a.m. Preliminary Analysis of a Biology- science Students based Physics Curriculum: Questions and Foundations

Poster – Phil Lockett, Centre College, Danville, KY 40422; lockett@centre. Poster – Juan R. Burciaga, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA edu 01075; [email protected] I have developed a one-semester algebra-based introductory physics course For the last five years the physics department of Mount Holyoke College for life science students. The course assumes students have completed a has offered an innovative algebra-based/biology-based introductory phys- one-semester physics course covering the basic concepts of mechanics. My ics sequence. But how can we compare a physics course whose goals are primary goal in the class is to relate everything I teach to the life sciences. fundamentally different from the mainstream physics curricula? What cri- I also emphasize important physical models such as the simple harmonic teria can we apply to curricula of different courses, that allows us to criti- oscillator and random walk. The class focuses on oscillations, waves, cally examine the effectiveness of the pedagogy used to write the textbook sound, fluids, thermal physics, optics and the interaction of radiation with and establish the lab environment, irrespective of their goals? The material matter. The lab is an integral part of the course and includes experiments (text and lab environment) of the two-semester course will be extensively that expose students to Fourier analysis, ultrasound propagation in solids, evaluated during the 2012/13 semester. This poster is an early outline of the nuclear decay and attenuation, and x-rays. The choice of topics was guided assessment criteria that will be used to evaluate the course pedagogy. by the BIO 2010 and AAMC-HHMI reports on improving the education of life science students. FD14: 8:30-10:30 a.m. A New Order on a Classic Sequence FD10: 8:30-10:30 a.m. Investigating Student Understanding of Poster – Robert A. Cohen, East Stroudsburg University, East Stroudsburg, PA 18301; [email protected] Viscosity Using a Resource Framework Mary Anne L. Moore, East Stroudsburg University Poster – Dan E. Young,* University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824; After years of trying different orders and approaches, we feel we’ve ob- [email protected] tained an optimal order of physics topics within a traditional two-semester Dawn Meredith, Matthijs van den Berg, University of New Hampshire algebra-based physics sequence. We’ll share what we’ve found, along with James Vesenka, University of New England results that illustrate the success of the sequence. Kelvin Chu, University of Vermont FD15: 8:30-10:30 a.m. Integrating Biomedical Contexts in a For introductory life science students, fluid dynamics is a topic that is important, relevant to biology, and yet difficult to understand conceptually. three-Staged Instructional Model Our study focuses on probing understanding of pressure differentials and Poster – Bijaya Aryal, University of Minnesota - Rochester; 300 University friction which underpin ideas of viscosity and fluid flow. Data was col- Square, Rochester, MN 55904; [email protected] lected from think-aloud/demonstration interviews. The data was analyzed using the resource framework to look for productive student reasoning Marian Aanerud, Robert Dunbar, Rajeev Muthyala, University of Minnesota - such as a microscopic viewpoint and gradient driven flow. Knowledge of Rochester these resources will guide development of instructional materials. We have designed a theme-based physics learning experience for health *Sponsor: Dawn Meredith science majors. A semester of learning experience is divided into theme- based modules. A three-week-long module has three stages of teaching/ FD11: 8:30-10:30 a.m. IPLS Student Reasoning about the learning activities. Each module starts with the concept construction stage Mathematical Description of Oscillations where students are expected to explore concepts and relations of concepts within the module through concrete experiences and instructor guidance. Poster – Dawn C. Meredith, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH Instructors in the next stage facilitate in consolidating students’ learning 03824; [email protected] using conceptual clicker questions, group-problem-solving activities and individual tasks. The activities of the third stage, usually designed through Gillian Galle, University of New Hampshire interdisciplinary collaboration, provide opportunities for students to apply Many students in the introductory physics course for life science students the concepts learned in the earlier stages to biomedical contexts. In this have difficulty making sense of trigonometric functions in a physics presentation, we describe the learning stages and explain rationale and phi- context. In particular, data shows that the role of the 2*pi/T in the argu- losophy of the instructional model. Likewise, we provide some examples of

ment is not understood. We investigated several approaches to bridge from integrated biomedical contexts and also report the preliminary assessment

commonly held previous knowledge to the target concept, and found that of the instructional model. Wednesday morning several approaches did not work. However, the idea of 2*pi/T as a pseudo conversion factor was productive for many students. FD16: 8:30-10:30 a.m. Why a Models Approach Makes reform both Doable and Successful FD12: 8:30-10:30 a.m. Student Conceptions of Fluid Dynamics Poster – Wendell H. Potter, University of California, Davis, CA 95616; Poster – James Vesenka, University of New England, Biddeford, ME 04005; [email protected] [email protected] Structuring introductory courses around central and important models, Katherine Misaiko, University of New England coupled with an emphasis on reasoning and sense making, offers pedagogi- Bernoulli’s principle (BP) is a confounding concept for students partially cal, epistemological, and content-organizational advantages compared because of the counterintuitive relationship between speed and pressure. to traditional approaches enshrined in large lecture-based and large When applied correctly BE is quite useful in helping to quantify a variety textbook-defined courses. It is difficult to make significant progress in the of important and common biological phenomena. Complicating matters reform of a particular aspect of the course for life science majors, e.g., in are the many phenomena erroneously attributed to BP on the web, some pedagogy, without simultaneously tackling all essential aspects together, of which are assimilated into instruction. BP’s mathematical representa- simply because they are so interrelated. Success with reformed pedagogical tion, the Bernoulli equation (BE), may be partially responsible for some approaches is tightly coupled to epistemological stances of students, which of the alternative conceptions. We are investigating student conceptions are in turn tied closely to the tasks they are asked to perform in both phys- of fluid dynamics to help students properly use BP/BE. Our interviews ics and in previous courses. These tasks, primarily finding answers to end- indicate that: 1) Successful students use multiple-particle models in order of-chapter numerical “problems,” are in turn driven by the topic-centered, to describe pressure at a microscopic level. 2) Closely aligned with the first, answer-focused way content is presented in standard textbooks. A models is the importance of understanding the concept of a vacuum. Ultimately approach brings all elements together naturally and provides a rational we seek to help students correctly employ BP through the use of graphical approach to successful reform as will be illustrated. and diagrammatic representations, in addition to BE. Supported by DUE 1044154 July 28–August 1, 2012 127 FD17: 8:30-10:30 a.m. Teaching Problem Solving with the provide a free online, searchable collection of instructional resources to Brain in Mind support undergraduate faculty of all science disciplines who work with students preparing for medical school. Teaching resources, effective practices, Poster – Maria Babiuc-Hamilton, Marshall University, Huntington, WV 25701; and strategies for including pre-health competencies into existing courses [email protected] will be made available to faculty at all institutions. (Sample materials can Problem solving is a skill that takes practice and time to fully develop. be found at www.aamc.org/icollaborative/pre-health.) In this paper, we will Exciting discoveries in neuroscience provide us with sound empirical data describe the status of the project, with a focus on how the PER (Physics Ed- about how our brain changes through learning and offers suggestions to ucation Research) community can contribute to the success of this project. make teaching more effective. The most significant finding is the major role emotions and background knowledge is playing in learning new material. Modern classroom settings do not allow for the one-on-one emotional Session FE: Developing Students’ bridge between mentor and mentee. In order to overcome this impediment Scientific Literacy we make extensive use of office hours to talk with each of the students and determine what they know already. New knowledge needs to be kept Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom IV simple, and build it up gradually through many examples, making sure Date: Wednesday, August 1 students learn the unifying concepts. Brain-based learning will not solve Time: 8:30–8:50 a.m. all our educational problems, but by adjusting our teaching methods to take into account the lessons learned from brain research, we benefit both Presider: Kathleen Falconer students and instructors. FE01: 8:30-8:40 a.m. General Science Materials for Develop- FD18: 8:30-10:30 a.m. Light Absorption and Pulse Oximetry ing Students’ Scientific Literacy: Part I Poster – Ralf Widenhorn, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97201 United States [email protected] Contributed – Jeffrey Marx, McDaniel College, Westminster, MD 21157; [email protected] Justin C. Dunlap, Misti Byrd, Casey Norlin, Portland State University Karen Cummings, Southern Connecticut State University We will present a laboratory activity that introduces concepts from optics Under an award from the National Science Foundation, we have begun in a way that is relevant to life science majors and pre-health students. The the development, implementation, and assessment of undergraduate, physics of light absorption is taught through the exploration of how a pulse general-science-level course materials with a primary and explicit goal of oximeter is capable of non-intrusively measuring the oxygen content of improving students’ scientific reasoning ability, science process skills, and blood as well as a patient’s pulse rate. Alternative to working with blood, we understanding of the nature of science (collectively: “scientific literacy”). demonstrate how a common pH indicator, bromothymol blue, can be used In this course, specific science content serves not as the principle focus, to simulate oxygenated and de-oxygenated hemoglobin. Common physics but only as a mechanism to more deeply engage the students. In this, the laboratory equipment such as a light sensor and spectrometer are utilized first of two talks, we will present our arguments for why such materials are and explained. After introducing carbon dioxide into bromothymol blue, important, provide a general overview of how our materials are organized, changes in intensity due to absorption are confirmed both visually as well and outline the various facets of scientific literacy addressed by our materi- as by measuring intensities at two discrete wavelengths. The results from als. Finally, we will discuss the progress of implementation at the speaker’s this experiment are used to demonstrate how oxygen concentrations in home institute. blood are determined using pulse oximetry. FE02: 8:40-8:50 a.m. General Science Materials for Develop- FD19: 8:30-10:30 a.m. Pendulum Laboratory Exercise ing Students’ Scientific Literacy: Part II incorporating Bio-mechanical Model Contributed – Karen Cummings, Southern Connecticut State University, New Poster – Elliot Mylott Portland State University SRTC, 1719 SW 10th Ave., Haven, CT 06515, [email protected] Room 134 Portland, OR 97201 [email protected] Jeffrey D. Marx, McDaniel College Angela Steichen, Justin Dunlap, Ralf Widenhorn Portland State University Under an award from the National Science Foundation, we have begun Laboratory exercises to study the dependence of a pendulum’s period the development, implementation, and assessment of undergraduate, on mass, length of the pendulum arm, and amplitude displaced, along general-science-level course materials with a primary and explicit goal of with conservation of mechanical energy, are commonly found in general improving students’ scientific reasoning ability, science process skills, and physics curriculum. We present a modification on the typical pendulum understanding of the nature of science (collectively: “scientific literacy”). lab with the goal of showing students, in particular pre-health students, In this course, specific science content serves not as the principle focus, that pendulum like behavior is seen in many real world phenomena, and but only as a mechanism to more deeply engage the students. In this, the in particular is found in something as common as a human walking. This second of two talks, we will present example materials and discuss the has particular relevance to student?s whose careers will incorporate the progress of implementation at the speaker’s home institute. study of bio-mechanics where the inverted-pendulum-model of walking for bipeds is a common model on which to base more complex systems. Students learn the basics found in most pendulum labs, then study how a Session FF: Interactive Lecture simple pendulum behaves after rotating the mass around 180° to form an Wednesday morning Wednesday “inverted pendulum,” and finally how that motion can model a portion of a Demonstrations – What’s New?

human’s walking motion. ILDs Using Clickers and Video FD20: 8:30-10:30 a.m. The Pre-Health iCollaborative Project: Analysis How Can AAPT and PER help? Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom IV Poster – Patricia E. Allen Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608 Sponsor: Committee on Educational Technologies [email protected] Co-Sponsor: Committee on Research in Physics Education Date: Wednesday, August 1 Juan R. Burciaga, Mount Holyoke College Time: 9–10 a.m. AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) has recently redefined its understanding of the expectations of students pursuing medical degrees. Presider: Priscilla Laws This has resulted in a revision of the MCAT and a vision of a recommended undergraduate curriculum based on pre-health competencies. Pre-Health iCollaborative is a new project established by the AAMC to 128 FF01: 9-9:30 a.m. Interactive Lecture Demonstrations: FG02: 8:40-8:50 a.m. Promoting Critical Thinking in a active Learning in Lecture Including Clickers and sCALE-UP Environment at a Community College

Video Analysis Contributed – Nawal Benmouna, Montgomery College, Gaithersburg, MD Invited – David R. Sokoloff, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1274; 20877; [email protected] [email protected] Gerald Feldman, The George Washington University Ronald K. Thornton, Tufts University Larry Medsker, Siena College The results of physics education research and the availability of microcom- Critical-thinking skills are identified across disciplines as being the pri- puter-based tools have led to the development of the Activity Based Physics mary competency for academic success. Physics courses can provide the Suite.1 Most of the Suite materials are designed for hands-on learning, for ideal vehicle for helping students develop such skills by focusing on the example student-oriented laboratory curricula such as RealTime Phys- cognitive aspects of physics instruction in an active-learning environ- ics. One reason for the success of these materials is that they encourage ment. Through a collaborative NSF/TUES grant with George Washington students to take an active part in their learning. This interactive session University, we have incorporated a SCALE-UP-inspired approach into a will demonstrate, through active audience participation, Suite materials “thinking skills” curriculum based on a taxonomy of cognitive skills in a designed to promote active learning in lecture, Interactive Lecture Demon- General Physics I algebra-based class at Montgomery College. Critical- strations (ILDs),2 including those using clickers and video analysis. thinking skills are practiced repeatedly within each step of the problem- 1. E.F. Redish, Teaching Physics with the Physics Suite (Wiley, Hoboken, NJ, 2004). 2. solving instructional approach used. We will report on the adaptation of David R. Sokoloff and Ronald K. Thornton, Interactive Lecture Demonstrations (Wiley, the SCALE-UP environment at a Community College, the development of Hoboken, NJ, 2004). assessment tools to evaluate students’ critical thinking, and how the assessment results were used to implement changes. FF02: 9:30-10 a.m. Interactive Lecture Demonstrations: Effectiveness in Teaching Concepts FG03: 8:50-9 a.m. Getting Students to Read the Textbook Before Class Invited – Ronald K. Thornton, Center for Science and Math Teaching, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155; [email protected] Contributed – Cynthia E. Heiner, Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative, David R. Sokoloff, University of Oregon University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T1Z4 Canada; heiner@ phas.ubc.ca The effectiveness of Interactive Lecture Demonstrations (ILDs) in teaching physics concepts has been studied using physics education research based, Traditionally, students are introduced to a topic for the first time in lecture; multiple-choice conceptual evaluations.1 Results of such studies will be however, students can read the textbook before coming to class -- making presented, including studies with clicker ILDs. These results should be lecture their second exposure. Unfortunately most students do not read the encouraging to those who wish to improve conceptual learning in their textbook. Our approach to encourage students to read before class, which 1 introductory physics course. was inspired by Just-in-Time-Teaching, has two key components: (1) 1. David R. Sokoloff and Ronald K. Thornton, “Using Interactive Lecture Demonstra- the reading is very specific, and (2) a follow-up online quiz has questions tions to Create an Active Learning Environment,” Phys. Teach. 35, 340 (1997). that explicitly refer to the textbook. We have introduced such pre-reading assignments into a first-year physics course predominantly for life science majors. With this approach, 85% of students reported reading the textbook Session FG: Introductory Courses on a regular basis. I will present survey evidence that students recognized the textbook as being helpful to their learning and that pre-readings helped Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom V students to develop more sophisticated questions during lecture. Date: Wednesday, August 1 1. G. Novak, E. Patterson, A. Gavrin, and W. Christian, Just-in-Time Teaching: Time: 8:30–10:30 a.m. Blending Active Learning and Web Technology, Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, (1999). Presider: Gerald Feldman

FG04: 9-9:10 a.m. How Different Incentives Affect Home- FG01: 8:30-8:40 a.m. Cognitive Development in a Group- work Completion in Introductory Physics Courses

Centered Problem-Solving Classroom Contributed – Frederick J. Kontur, United States Air Force Academy, USAF

Contributed – Joshua S. Ridenour, The George Washington University, Academy, CO 80840; [email protected] Wednesday morning Washington, DC 20052; [email protected] Nathan B. Terry, United States Air Force Academy Larry Medsker, Siena College We examine the amount of homework completed by students in two calcu- Raluca Teodorescu, Gerald Feldman, The George Washington University lus-based introductory physics courses (Mechanics, Electricity and Mag- netism) when three different incentives are used: (1) awarding points for Nawal Benmouna, Montgomery College homework completion in an online system; (2) administering homework Developing competency in problem solving and enhancing conceptual quizzes that require students to solve a homework problem that was previ- understanding are primary objectives in introductory physics, and many ously assigned; (3) allowing students to use their completed homework as a techniques and tools are available to help instructors achieve them. Peda- reference when taking quizzes on problems related to but not coming from gogically, we use an easy-to-implement intervention, the ACCESS protocol, the homework. In the latter two cases, none of the assigned homework to develop and assess problem-solving skills in our SCALE-UP classroom was directly graded; homework completion was measured by periodic environment for algebra-based physics. Based on our research and teach- random checks during class of students’ workbooks. To our knowledge, ing experience, an important question has emerged: while primarily target- this is the first study that quantitatively compares homework completion ing improvements in problem-solving and cognitive development, is it for ungraded versus graded homework in an introductory physics course. necessary that conceptual understanding be compromised? To address this Other variables that may affect homework completion, such as incoming question, we gathered and analyzed information about student abilities, student aptitude and student perception of the value of homework, are also backgrounds, and instructional preferences. We report on our progress analyzed. and give insights into matching the instructional tools to student profiles in order to achieve optimal learning in group-based active learning. The FG05: 9:10-9:20 a.m. Homework Effectiveness in Two ultimate goal of our work is to integrate individual student learning needs into a pedagogy that moves students closer to expert-like status in problem introductory Physics Courses solving. Contributed – Nathan B. Terry,* United States Air Force Academy, USAF Academy, CO 80840; [email protected]

July 28–August 1, 2012 129 Fred Kontur, United States Air Force Academy and found that pictorial representations for sound standing waves of air We consider the effectiveness of homework as a learning tool in multiple columns in tubes can be categorized into several typical models. A quasi- sections of two introductory calculus-based physics courses offered during experimental study was conducted to investigate the comparative effective- several semesters. During these courses, both online and written home- ness between one pictorial representation model and the supporting text work were used. Correlation measurements from semesters where online in a textbook and our self-composed pictorial representation model and homework was used indicated that homework was the least effective type supporting text in helping students learn the underlying concepts of sound of assignment for preparing students for exams; grades on both laboratory standing waves. We found that students were confused with some aspects and pre-class assignments had a consistently higher correlation to exam of the textbook’s pictorial representations and incomplete supporting text. success. We replaced online homework with written homework included as The results of this study can provide a basis for publishers to improve part of a comprehensive class journal. This study examines the effectiveness their pictorial representations and texts and for instructors to facilitate of course homework assignments before and after the introduction of the comprehensive explanations to enhance student conceptual understanding journal in several ways. First, we analyze how homework patterns relate to in sound standing waves. student performance on quizzes and exams. Second, we consider student responses to mid- and end-of-course surveys. Third, we examine insights FG10: 9:50-10 a.m. Using Play Dough to Understand Nuclear collected during student focus group interviews. reactors *Sponsor: Fred Kontur Contributed – Erin De Pree, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, St. Mary’s City, FG07: 9:20-9:30 a.m. Theory and Practice vs. Lecture and MD 20686; [email protected] Lab/Teaching Introductory Physics Many introductory physics courses briefly cover nuclear reactors. We present a kinetic activity to help students understand and remember how a Contributed – Mikhail M. Agrest, College of Charleston, Charleston, SC nuclear reactor work. Each group of three to four students builds their own 29414; [email protected] nuclear reactor using play dough. Groups often build different kinds of The historical, methodological, technological, and administrative reasons reactors and compare them afterwards. lead to the tradition of having science classes taught as lectures and labs. Originated as sharing knowledge with larger groups of people, lectures be- FG11: 10-10:10 a.m. Collision Between a Disk and a Rod: came more a theoretical portion while labs were invented to give students do They Stick? the opportunity to learn via hands-on experience and to apply the theoretical knowledge acquired in lectures into real life. Development of theory Contributed – Carl E. Mungan, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD 21402- and practice of teaching and learning invented new concepts and methods. 1363; [email protected] One dimensional lecturer/student speaking/hearing flow of information A small puck makes a perfectly inelastic collision with the end of a thin was replaced by multidimensional methods.1 Visual learners are pleased uniform rod lying at rest on frictionless ice. (In a perfectly inelastic colli- by abilities of modern visual aids technology. Demonstrations are forcing sion, the normal component of the relative velocity between the contact out conceptual teaching that is sometimes replaced by consideration of points on the objects is zero after the collision.) Given the geometry, the examples led practically to solving problems and replacing recitations sec- masses, and the initial speed of the puck, the motion of the system imme- tions. Things aren’t always what they seem.2 Misinterpreting observations, diately after the collision will be the same regardless of whether the puck creating inadequate shortcuts became one of the learning problems. Ad- sticks to the rod or not, IF the puck strikes the end of the rod perpendicu- vantages and disadvantages of the theoretical (lecture) classes and practical larly. However, if the disk strikes at an angle (relative to the axis of the rod) (labs and recitations) will be discussed. other than 90 (or 0) degrees, then the final motion will be different if the 1. M. Agrest, Lectures on Introductory Physics I and II. 249 pp. and 252 pp. with il- puck sticks than if it does not. This example illustrates why one should lustrations Thomson Learning. ISBN 1426625596, (2007). NOT define “perfectly inelastic” as “the two objects stick together.” 2. Mikhail M. Agrest, “Things are not always what they seem,” AAPT Winter 2009 See Example 11.9 in the 7th edition of Serway & Jewett Physics for Scientists Meeting, Chicago. and Engineers. FG08: 9:30-9:40 a.m. Statics and Dynamics of Walking a FG12: 10:10-10:20 a.m. Acronyms (vowels: mathematical narrow Path: A Bird’s Perspective operations) Contributed – Zdeslav Hrepic, Columbus State University, Columbus, GA Contributed – Shannon Schunicht, M & W inc., 6773 Bendwood, College Sta- 31904; [email protected] tion, TX 77845.3005; [email protected] While we still do not have a definitive answer about the reason(s) for which When instructing physics, formulas are continually espoused with applica- birds stand on one leg, a list of suggestions has been offered both by expert tions, historical highlights, and derivatives in the same orderly fashion. ornithologists and amateur birdwatchers. We offer a perspective grounded Students have other classes and assignments. Physics now becomes second, in statics and rotational dynamics that has not been suggested in the litera- if not discarded altogether. While in the Army, Mr. Schunicht was involved ture. The discussion has implications for bird study, and it can also be used in a mid-air collision rendering three weeks of unconsciousness. Pragmatic as a rich context for teaching statics and dynamics topics at levels ranging discoveries were made to compensate for the residual memory deficits. The from conceptual courses to advanced mechanics. Paper associated with the most valuable was having each vowel represent a mathematical operation, presentation is available in the March 2012 issue of The Physics Teacher. i.e. “a” multiplication to imply “@”, “o” for division to mean “over”, “i” for subtraction to signify “minus”, “u” for addition to symbolize “plus”, and

Wednesday morning Wednesday FG09: 9:40-9:50 a.m. Pictorial Representations for Sound “e” for “equals”. Most constants, and variables are indeed consonants, e.g. standing Waves in Introductory Physics Textbooks “c” = “speed of light” & “z” = “altitude. ADDITIONAL LETTERS may be inserted for intelligibility, but need be CONSONANTS An acronym for Contributed – Liang Zeng,The University of Texas-Pan American, Edinburg, The Quadratic Equation is; exCePT i buiLD rabbiTS 4 caTS oN 2 HaTS. TX 78539; [email protected] Remembers Dr. Seuss?? The possibilities of this mnemonic technique are Chris Smith, Department of Chemistry,The University of Texas-Pan American limitless as Delta X => 0 * Jennifer Rodriguez, Edgar Corpuz, The University of Texas-Pan American *The application of this mnemonic technique [vowels: mathematical operations] to Western languages is remarkable; however its application to Eastern characters has yet We reviewed at least 10 commonly used textbooks in introductory physics to be explored...

130 describe the positive and negative effects, and offer our reflections on what Session FH: Teacher Preparation we learned from using them. 1. R.A. Duschl, H.A. Schweingruber, & A.W. Shouse, Taking science to school: Learn- Location: Sheraton - William Penn Suite ing and Teaching science in grades K-8. Washington, DC: The National Academies Date: Wednesday, August 1 Press (2007). Time: 8:30–10:30 a.m. Presider: Connie Wells FH04: 9-9:10 a.m. How Can a PhysTEC Teacher in Residence (TIR) Facilitate Uncommon Conversations for the Common Good? FH01: 8:30-8:40 a.m. Analyzing Future Teacher Reflections Contributed – Alma Robinson, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061; alma. Contributed – Marina Malysheva,* Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ [email protected] 08901; [email protected] At Virginia Tech, the TIR teaches a Physics Teaching and Learning course Marianne Vanier, Eugenia Etkina, Rutgers University to pre-service K-12 teachers, undergraduate physics majors, graduate Being able to reflect on your teaching is one of the skills that is very teaching assistants in physics, and graduate students in education. In addi- important for a teacher. The instructors (Learning Assistants and Teaching tion to the essential lessons on PER and pedagogy, we also invited a diverse Assistants) in a reformed introductory physics course at Rutgers University array of experts, from an actor to a psychologist, to give talks on how we post their reflections and discuss their teaching in an online environment. can best utilize knowledge from their fields to become more effective phys- We analyzed this rich set of data using the grounded theory approach, and ics teachers. Perhaps the most unusual conversation, however, was when developed a coding system. The analysis of reflections allows us to identify our students shared with our physics faculty what they’ve learned about possible relationships between the expected and observed student difficul- teaching physics. This talk will focus on the lessons learned from these ties, the types of proactive and reactive teaching strategies the instructors uncommon conversations. choose, their perception of student understanding and learning processes, and trace the changes in their self-perception and their approaches to FH05: 9:10-9:20 a.m. Orienting Students to Participate in an classroom situations. In this talk, we will describe the process through inquiry-based Physics Course which we came up with the categories for our coding system. *Sponsor: E. Etkina Contributed – Jon D. H. Gaffney, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40504; [email protected] FH02: 8:40-8:50 a.m. Investigation of Evolution: What Are Elementary and middle school education majors at the University of Future Teacher Reflections Telling Us? Kentucky are required to take a physics content course called Physics and Astronomy for Teachers (PAT). Because PAT is constructivist and inquiry- Contributed – Marianne Vanier, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ based, it is different from other required university science courses. A 08901; [email protected] previous study revealed that student expectations about what they were Marina Malysheva, Eugenia Etkina, Rutgers University going to do in the course differed substantially from what they reported Pre-service physics teachers at Rutgers University teach laboratories and actually doing. To orient the students to the pedagogy required in PAT, I recitations in a reformed introductory physics course for science majors. now spend the whole first class demonstrating the mechanics of the course. In September 2011 a few students who had previously taken this physics In this talk, I will share some activities I have compiled and discuss how course were hired as learning-assistants (LA) to help pre-service teachers I use these activities to try to shift students’ expectations for the course as during recitations. Both groups reflected daily on their teaching experi- well as explicitly model and discuss ways for them to effectively participate ences. We collected their weekly reflections and analyzed them using the in the course. coding scheme that was developed for this purpose. We agreed upon 24 codes; for each code we assigned three levels (1- general/superficial com- FH07: 9:20-9:30 a.m. Role a TIR Plays in Creating a ment, 2- some depth in comment, 3- deep and rich comment) in order to Community of Physics Teaching Professionals specifically track the evolution of the content of their reflections from one recitation to the next and over the whole semester. We focused on the ex- Contributed – Katie Beck, 222 Hanover Dr., Costa Mesa, CA 92626; pected and observed student difficulties, the types of proactive and reactive [email protected]

teaching strategies they chose/used to remediate these student difficulties, It is lonely being the only high school physics teacher on a campus. Where Wednesday morning and the changes in their approaches to classroom situations. can a teacher go for help or collaboration? One of the goals of PhysTEC at California State University, Long Beach is to create a community of physics FH03: 8:50-9 a.m. Authoritative Sources in a Physics Class teachers in order to address these concerns. This talk will discuss several for Future Elementary Teachers events and opportunities that a TIR and the CSULB PhysTEC team have given in order to help foster a community of physics teaching profession- Contributed – Paul Hutchison, Grinnell College, Education Department., Grin- als; monthly demo day, monthly newsletter, biannual physics teacher open nell, IA 50112; [email protected] house, and pedagogical content knowledge course (PHYS 490) offered to Eric Kuo, University of Maryland, College Park in-service and pre-service teachers. This talk presents data from a physics course for elementary education majors that focuses on science “as an integrated body of knowledge and FH09: 9:30-9:40 a.m. Secondary Teacher Preparation at the practice” (Duschl et al., 2007, p. 7)1 rather than solely conceptual or factual university of Northern Colorado knowledge. As such, the course emphasizes the process of “figuring things Contributed – Cynthia Galovich, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, out” rather than relying on scientific authority to determine the merit CO 80639; [email protected] of an idea. One view of such a course supports student sense-making by removing authoritative sources from these classes. This prevents rote Wendy K. Adams, Robert Reinsvold, University of Northern Colorado memorization of content knowledge, something we worry about. Yet, inter- The University of Northern Colorado (UNC) leads all public and private acting productively with authoritative sources is a part of expert scientific Colorado institutions in total enrollment in educator preparation programs practice. So we want students to interact with authoritative texts in ways with 3,770 students. UNC supplies 54% of the state’s new teachers with de- that support “figuring things out” rather than rote memorization. In this grees from Colorado schools. The science and mathematics teacher licen- talk we report on how authoritative sources were introduced in our course, sure programs typically maintain an enrollment of 250 to 300 students and

July 28–August 1, 2012 131 UNC is one of only three institutions in the state with a Science Teacher Education Program having National Recognition from NCATE/NSTA. In Session FI: Teaching Physics Around this presentation we’ll discuss the features of the science teacher preparation program and how the tight collaboration between the content areas the World and the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences creates an efficient Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom III and effective system for education of high school science teachers. Sponsor: Committee on Physics in Undergraduate Education Co-Sponsor: Committee on History and Philosophy in Physics FH10: 9:40-9:50 a.m. Using RTOP to Develop Pedagogical Date: Wednesday, August 1 Content Knowledge in Pre-service Candidates Time: 8:30–10:30 a.m.

Contributed – Joseph L. Zawicki, SUNY Buffalo State College, Buffalo, NY Presider: Saif Rayyan 14222; [email protected] Kathleen A. Falconer, Luanna Gomez, Dan MacIsaac, Lowell Sylwester, SUNY Buffalo State College FI01: 8:30-9 a.m. Preparing Teachers for the Use of ICT in the Framework of Inquiry Based Science Education The Reformed Teacher Observation Protocol (RTOP) has been used to measure the student-centeredness and level of inquiry in science class- Invited – Ton L. Ellermeijer, Foundation C.M.A., van Leijenberghlaan 124, rooms. Teacher candidates, and new teachers, often focus on the content, Amsterdam, 1082 DB, Netherlands; [email protected] not on the learners; pedagogical content knowledge is not just pedagogy—it Ewa Kedzierska, Foundation C.M.A. is pedagogy and content within the context of the learner. The RTOP explicitly demands new teachers and teacher candidates to focus on what, The European Community wants science education to change in direction precisely, the learner is doing within the classroom culture. Candidates of IBSE (Rocard Report). Today several large projects involving many completing a final science teaching methods course before student teaching countries are addressing this challenge. The main focus is on preparing were introduced to the RTOP as a tool to reflect on teaching practices. To and supporting teachers by providing them with innovative curriculum critically assess their own microteaching experiences, as well as their future materials and teacher training activities (as well pre-service as in-service). classroom lessons, candidates received standard RTOP training and devel- For a long time we have known that ICT might stimulate and enable phys- oped an understanding of RTOP through classroom discourse and scoring. ics education in a direction that brings (high school) students in a similar position as researchers in science. The powerful tools available (from measurement with sensors, advanced video-analysis to numerical modeling) FH11: 9:50-10 a.m. The Scarlet Letter – Can a Physics facilitates realistic and authentic research projects by students. Still many Failure be a Teacher? teachers around the world have not been able to apply these possibilities, also due to lack of training. In the framework of the ESTABLISH project Contributed – Donald G. Franklin, Retired- Adjunct Status, Mercer University, (EC-funded) we now develop training and support for teachers as much as Hampton, GA 30228; [email protected] possible suitable for on-line use. In this world of recycling can we look for teacher candidates who were admitted to physics and engineering programs but graduated in other FI02: 9-9:30 a.m. Innovative Physics Teaching in the Czech fields? Do we brand them forever as woefully inadequate for physics in our republic high schools for the rest of their lives, or do we consider that they all had the qualifications to enter the program, but other reasons caused them to Invited – Rod Milbrandt, Rochester Community and Technical College, Roch- leave their major. I am suggesting developing a two-week summer program ester, MN 55904; [email protected] to help these candidates find their worth and become physics and physical The author spent 2009-10 on sabbatical at the Physics Education Depart- science teachers. At the end of the two weeks, the candidates would be ment of Charles University in Prague. This talk will focus on physics teach- tested to see if they have the ability to conduct labs and develop the class- ing in the Czech Republic, and especially on innovative methods being used room into a successful experience for the students. by teachers participating in the Heureka project, a long-term collaboration of Czech physics teachers. Observations on teacher education at Charles FH12: 10-10:10 a.m. Engaging Pre-Service Elementary University, and some of its unique characteristics, will also be discussed. teachers in Science Outreach FI03: 9:30-10 a.m. Piano ISS – Improving Science Teaching Contributed – Marina Milner-Bolotin, The University of British Columbia, l in Italy Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4 Canada; [email protected] Invited – Silvano M. Sgrignoli, A.I.F. Associazione, per l’Insegnamento della In Canada in order to be admitted into the Elementary Teacher Education Fisica (IT), via F. Coghetti, 236 Bergamo, I 24128 Italy; [email protected] Program, a student must have earned a Bachelor Degree (90% will have a BA) and have taken at least one post-secondary science lab course. Thus Piano ISS is an important, large-scale activity aimed at improving the the majority of teacher-candidates have a very limited science knowledge teaching/learning of science in Italy, from elementary school to the first and an unlimited mathematics and science anxiety. The Second Family Sci- two years of upper secondary (6 to 15 year-old students). It started in 2006 ence Day at the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia after one year of preparatory work, and it is based on a project devised by attracted more than 200 guests. However, what made this event different three teachers’ associations, AIF (Physics), ANISN (Natural Sciences), and from anything else is that it was organized and led by future elementary DD/SCI (Chemistry), and by the Science Museums of Milan and Naples. teachers. This was one of the few experiences where they could not only It has been officially adopted by the Ministry of Education. Piano ISS is

Wednesday morning Wednesday enjoy science, but also share their positive science experiences with others. based on the idea that guided collaboration of teachers, involved in action- More than 30 pre-service elementary teachers participated in the event and research activities with the advice of experts and organized around local all of them expressed their satisfaction, as well as increased willingness to support structures in the schools (“presidi”), is crucial for a significant teach science to their future elementary students. improvement of school practices. I will describe how Piano ISS was first implemented throughout the country in 100 “presidi”—each one having three tutor/teachers—and will analyze how it evolved, how it was managed through four different governments following one another, what are the present outcomes, and which difficulties are being faced at the moment. FI04: 10-10:10 a.m. Science Education Delegation to India, oct., 2011

Contributed – Celia Chung Chow, CSU, 9 Andrew Drive, Weatogue, CT 06089-9726; [email protected]

132 Elizabeth Chesick, The Baldwin School tion program at Guangxi Normal University in light of scientific inquiry ideas; 2) Providing encouraging and supporting environment for teacher Understanding Indian science education and interaction with Indian sci- students to learn inquiry teaching by doing inquiry and doing inquiry ence teachers at eight schools in two cities, New Delhi and Jaipur, India, teaching, especially involving them in devolving and using low-cost but Oct. 9-17, 2011. high education value experiments; 3) Constructing new-type university- FI06: 10:10-10:20 a.m. Experimenting an Inquiry-based school and extra-school educational institutes alliance providing teacher students not only platform for doing clinical teaching practice conveniently intervention Module on Electromagnetism with Talented but also opportunity for trial school-based curriculum development and students science teaching in informal setting. Reflection from different channels sees the promise not only to remarkable enhancement of teacher students’ Contributed – Stefano Vercellati, Physics Education Research Unit, University competence but also to closing the gaps between research and classroom, of Udine, Via Delle Scienze, 208 Udine, UD 33100 Italy; stefano.vercellati@ academics and practices. Some examples selected in a format of demo and uniud.it video will be presented during the talk. Marisa Michelini, Physics Education Research Unit, University of Udine An experimental inquiry-based learning path on electromagnetic phenom- FJ03: 9:30-10 a.m. Physics Outreach Programs in the ena was experimented during the 2011 Summer School of Modern Physics European Union of Udine. The research was focused on the investigation of the ways in which skilled Italian students (selected from the best high school students Invited – Stanley J. Micklavzina, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403; in physics) constructed the formal thinking, anchoring (or not) their [email protected] reasoning to the magnetic field lines representation. This representation, From January–June of 2012 I did sabbatical leave work in Lund Sweden to first used in the learning path as qualitative descriptor, will be improved develop an outreach program and activities for the MAX-lab Synchrotron as a quantitative representation able to describe the main characteristics Radiation Laboratory. Through this effort, I have been exposed to various of the magnetic field. The characteristics of magnetic field were built outreach programs from all parts of the E.U. These outreach programs vary interpreting the phenomena from qualitative to a quantitative level and the in style and are utilized by universities, research laboratories, and private ways in which is possible to produce induction and the Faraday’s law were corporations. I will give an overview of some of these programs and will addressed and interpreted by the students. Data collected, using personal also include information about a conference that is organized to support worksheets and recording of the lecture will be discussed. various outreach efforts for all countries in the E.U called EuroPhysicsFun. Session FJ: PIRA Session: Interna- tional Outreach Session FK: Assessing Pedagogi- Location: CCH - Claudia Cohen Terrace cal Content Knowledge in Teacher Sponsor: Committee on Apparatus Date: Wednesday, August 1 Preparation Time: 8:30–10 a.m. Location: Houston Hall - Golkin Sponsor: Committee on Teacher Preparation Presider: David Maiullo Co-Sponsor: Committee on Research in Physics Education Date: Wednesday, August 1 Time: 8:30–10 a.m. FJ01: 8:30-9 a.m. Outreach in the Classroom: Boosting interest in Physics by Integrating Virtual Instrumentation Presider: Paula Heron Within Demonstrations and Student Labs Invited – Urs Lauterburg, Physikalisches Institut, University of Bern, Sidler- FK01: 8:30-9 a.m. Flight Simulator for a Physics Teacher strasse 5, Bern, BE 3012, Switzerland; [email protected] Invited – Eugenia Etkina, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901; After discussing ways to increase the impact factor of physics demonstra- [email protected]

tion experiments and student labs with the help of virtual instruments,

the presentation will focus on two recently developed examples: 1) The Flight simulators prepare pilots in training for the routine and extreme Wednesday morning Hopf-Pendulum demonstration experiment which represents a simple me- situations. The simulators also allow flight instructors to assess how new chanical system that shows how the transition between its inherent steady trainees can fly the plane in a regular situation, how they respond to the states is driven by chaotic properties. 2) The Doppler lab experiment, an changes of the conditions, and to provide instant feedback. How can we use apparatus that lets the students explore and investigate the Doppler effect the concept of a simulator to help future teachers prepare for the challenges by measuring and analyzing the acquired signals of rotating sound sources. of a high school physics classroom? In this talk I will describe how one can use microteaching (microteaching happens when pre-service teachers teach lessons to their peers who play the role of high school students, the FJ02: 9-9:30 a.m. Empowering Teachers with Inquiry Teach- word micro does not mean short duration of the lesson) for this purpose. ing Competence by Updating their Own Learning Microteaching involves planning the lesson, assembling and testing equipment, and enacting the lesson in the classroom. Formative assessment of Invited – Xingkai Luo, Research Institute of Science Education & Faculty of each step that pre-service teachers undertake in this process allows for Physics, Guangxi Normal University, Guangxi 541004; China xingkailuo@ instant feedback, corrections and improvements in the lesson. vip.163.com Inquiry-based science teaching at school levels driven by the new national FK02: 9-9:30 a.m. Assessing Teachers’ Knowledge and Skills curriculum in China has been widely recognized as a big challenge for most practicing school science teachers who had not been taught in such of Formative Assessment a way in their own schooling years. High-quality professional develop- Invited – Jim Minstrell, FACET Innovations, 1314 NE 43rd St., Suite 207, ment focusing on enhancing current and future teachers’ competence in Seattle, WA 98105; [email protected] inquiry teaching becomes crucially important. Such demand motivated the author and colleagues to focus their attention on preparing new teachers Min Li, University of Washington empowered with competence in teaching science by inquiry in implement- Ruth A. Anderson, FACET Innovations ing the new national curriculum. This talk presents a systematic effort In this paper we discuss the development of valid and reliable pen and aimed at updating the university students as future teachers with their own paper, scenario-based tasks for assessing teachers’ skills and knowledge at learning first. It includes: 1) Updating the physics/science teacher educa- three critical aspects of formative assessment: 1) Anticipating or knowing July 28–August 1, 2012 133 typical student responses in solving conceptual problems or explaining teaching vignette for a particular topic, poses a question about instruc- critical events in physics; 2) Interpreting student work to determine strong tional approach, and offers response options reflecting a spectrum of teach- and problematic aspects and to identify possible cognitive or experiential ing orientations ranging from direct instruction through guided inquiry needs of the students; and 3) Acting to adapt or design one or more actions to open discovery. Sets of tested and refined items are compiled into (lessons or feedback) that are likely to address student learning needs and Pedagogy of Science Teaching Tests (POSTT), with versions for various promote clearer understanding. Characterizations of teachers’ actions were topics, grade ranges and facets of instruction. These have summative and derived and codified using results from two sources: think-aloud inter- research uses, but perhaps more importantly, individual items can be used views with teachers and responses to subsets of tasks by teachers in various formatively during teacher preparation to promote active problem-based professional development venues. The tasks, the identification of learning discussion of science inquiry pedagogy. We discuss example items. needs, and the resulting interpretive frameworks can be used for professional development of teachers’ practices in the teaching of physics. FK05: 9:50-10 a.m. Assessing the PCK of In- and Out-of-Field Physics Teachers FK03: 9:30-9:40 a.m. Pedagogical Content Knowledge of inquiry Science Instruction: Operational Models Contributed – Jennifer J. Neakrase, New Mexico State University, Las Cru- ces, NM 88003; [email protected] Contributed – David Schuster, Western Michigan University, Physics Depart- Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) refers to how a teacher represents ment and Mallinson Institute for Science Education, Kalamazoo, MI 49008; and formulates the subject being taught in order to optimize student [email protected] understanding. Within physics, PCK is described as “an application of gen- Betty Adams, Bill Cobern, Brandy Skjold, Western Michigan University eral, subject-independent knowledge of how people learn to the learning National Science Education Standards advocate inquiry-based science of physics.” In choosing or designing successful lessons, a physics teacher instruction throughout K-12. This is a demanding task, requiring teachers must weave their knowledge of the discipline with knowledge of how to successfully integrate content knowledge, inquiry knowledge, pedagogy students learn. When there is no certified physics teacher available, other knowledge, and knowledge of learners. Theoretical knowledge of each “out-of-field” teachers are asked to fill the role. An out-of-field teacher may is not enough; a teacher must bring all of them to bear in a case-based have adequate general knowledge of how students learn, but inadequate fashion for teaching specific topics in classroom situations. We call this knowledge of the discipline of physics. This difference in knowledge combination “pedagogical content knowledge of inquiry science instruc- between an in- and out-of-field physics teacher should be reflected in their tion.” It is important to have ways of promoting and assessing it during PCK. This paper discusses how PCK of in- and out-of-field teachers can teacher preparation. Yet there are disparate ideas about what constitutes be assessed through a mixed-method design, which includes analysis of inquiry instruction, and an even greater range of classroom practices. We interviews, observations, and concept maps. use operational models to characterize some constructs involved, e.g. PCK, scientific inquiry, guided inquiry vs. other instructional modes, teaching FK06: 10-10:10 a.m. A Q Approach to Understanding Physics orientations, science concept development vs. investigative process skills, LAs’ Views on Teaching* narrative framing and discourse. This is valuable to clarify in its own right, but also gives a basis for devising assessment items for formative and sum- Contributed – Geraldine L.. Cochran, Florida International University, Miami, mative use during teacher preparation. FL 33199; [email protected] David T. Brookes, Eric Brewe, Laird H. Kramer, Florida International Univer- FK04: 9:40-9:50 a.m. Assessing Pedagogical Content sity Knowledge of Inquiry Science Instruction: Case-based Previously, we presented the results of semi-structured interviews with instruments Physics LAs at Florida International University regarding their views on reflective practice in the LA program and focused on central themes shared Contributed – Betty Adams, Western Michigan University, Mallinson Institute by the Physics LAs. Analysis of the interviews also revealed that the LAs for Science Education, Kalamazoo, MI 49008; [email protected] have varying views in regard to their teaching experiences and how they David Schuster, Bill Cobern, Brandy Skjold, Western Michigan University engage in reflection. To better understand the various views held by our LAs we will use Q methodology as a framework for determining typologies Prospective teachers’ science content knowledge is assessed during their among Physics LAs. As a part of this framework, participants sort a sample preparation, but it is just as important to assess their integrated knowledge of statements according to their agreement with the statement. The first of how best to teach particular science topics by inquiry, i.e. what we may step in using this framework is creating the concourse, the set of state- call “pedagogical content knowledge of inquiry science instruction.” This ments from which the sample of statements is taken. In this presentation, requires a new type of assessment. We have developed case-based assess- we will discuss the development of our concourse from LA interviews, LA ments in both MCQ and Likert formats. A typical item presents a realistic writing assignments, and a review of the literature. *Research funded by NSF grant # 0802184 Wednesday morning Wednesday

134 Awards Session Location: Inn at Penn - Woodlands Ballroom Date: Wednesday, August 1 Time: 11 a.m.–12:15 p.m.

Presider: Jill Marshall Presenter: David Sokoloff

2012 AAPT Robert A. Millikan Medal – Philip M. Sadler

Separating Facts From Fads: How Our Choices Impact Students’ Performance and Persistence in Physics

Philip Sadler, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138; [email protected]

The United States is unique in the variety of teaching methods and curricula chosen for use in science classrooms. Be- cause of this natural variation, we have utilized epidemiological methods to mine the backgrounds of college students taking introductory science courses for predictors of performance and persistence while controlling for demographic differences. In surveying thousands of students in randomly selected introductory college biology, chemistry, and physics courses across the U.S., we have put to the test educators’ beliefs about the kinds of preparatory experiences and key resources that predict both persistence and successful performance. I will report on our findings on the value Philip Sadler of lab experience, technology, demonstrations, content coverage, block scheduling, class size, Advanced Placement courses, project work, and mathematics preparation. We have also gauged the effectiveness of classroom instruction at the middle school level, examining the role of teacher subject matter knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge on student gains in physical science. Of particular interest is teacher awareness of common student misconceptions and how this impacts student learning.

2012 AAPT Distinguished Service Citation Awardees

Eugenia Etkina J. D. Garcia Chandralekha Singh Rutgers University University of Arizona University of Pittsburgh Department of Physics Department of Physics Department of Physics

Wednesday morning 2012 AIP Science Communication Award: Writing for Children

The 2012 award in the Writing for Children category goes to Pat Murphy for her book The Klutz Guide to the Galaxy. Like other Klutz books, this winning entry comes with the tools children need to experiment and explore. Pat was a senior writer at the Exploratorium, San Francisco’s museum of science, art, and human perception. Today, Pat writes and manages the creation of science books and products for Klutz. She also is an award-winning science fiction and fantasy author. – Bo Hammer, AIP, presenter

Pat Murphy author of The Klutz Guide to the Galaxy

July 28–August 1, 2012 135 CRKBRL 6: Do We Have Standards? Session GA: Teaching Physics in Moving Towards a Definition of Urban and Suburban Settings Physics Mastery Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom I Sponsor: Committee on Physics in High Schools Location: Houston Hall - Class of 49 Co-Sponsor: Committee on Professional Concerns Sponsor: Committee on Physics in Undergraduate Education Date: Wednesday, August 1 Date: Wednesday, August 1 Time: 1:30–3 p.m. Time: 12:15–1:15 p.m. Presider: Eugenia Etkina Presider: Andy Gavrin GA01: 1:30-2 p.m. Technologies for Innovative and Efficient The need to quantify and document student learning in physics Mastery-based Assessment courses and programs is growing. Consider these developments: (1) The publication of “Academically Adrift” has raised serious Invited – Chris D’Amato, Mount Olive High School, Flanders, NJ 07836; concerns among university administrators, legislators, and not [email protected] a few parents about the value of a college education. (2) Most, if High school physics classes using a mastery-based approach to assessment not all, regional accreditors now require substantial assessment (students can revise their graded work many times) produce excellent efforts at all levels for institutions to maintain accreditation. (3) results in student learning and help create a classroom in which all participants are stakeholders in shared achievement -- but this produces reams of ABET accreditation of engineering programs no longer requires paperwork and lots of data to manage. This talk shows how common tech- that students take specific physics courses, accepting any demon- nology skills can create mastery-based assessment instruments that work stration of competency, and medical schools are expected to follow better for both teacher and students. Using simple technical solutions I can this example within a few years. How shall physics programs make daily individualized paper quizzes with unique solutions, dynami- react? The issue will not go away. One method would be for each cally generated charts and figures, and pre-printed student information department to develop and validate its own assessment methods. encoded in QR barcode. I scan student work with copier or webcam, record grades, and share the result with the student. The student gets prompt Another would be for the physics professional societies to develop personal feedback; the teacher provides an innovative, responsive, rigorous and distribute assessment resources. Join us to discuss how to and yet compassionate grading system while expending less energy than address the problems and potential benefits of these and other with a traditional assessment and grading system. solutions. GA02: 2-2:30 p.m. Making Fun Out of Educational Physics games

CRKBRL 7: Crackerbarrel for PER Invited – Matthew Blackman, Madison High School, Parsippany, NJ 07054- Graduate Students 4239; [email protected] Being a high school physics teacher and game designer, I would like to Location: CCH - Claudia Cohen Terrace share with you some educational physics games that have helped me Sponsor: Committee on Research in Physics Education engage my students. A new generation of educational physics games and Co-Sponsor: Committee on Graduate Education in Physics software is evolving, inspired by such unlikely predecessors as Angry Birds. Date: Wednesday, August 1 In physics education software, developers are finding increasingly exciting Time: 12:15–1:15 p.m. and unique ways to engage students in physics while keeping them excited Presider: Deepika Menon about learning. By incorporating cutting-edge game design techniques, we can keep the average digital-age student immersed in physics for hours. By building on strong pedagogical content knowledge, as well as incorporat- This session would allow PER graduate students to discuss current ing new possibilities afforded by tablets and laptops, educational physics issues and concerns they might have to help them excel in their games are becoming a hugely successful and widely-used tool to reinforce field. physics in the classroom. I believe that games, if designed and used correctly, can become an indispensable tool to reinforce concepts and keep students smiling while they’re thinking.

CRKBRL 8: Crackerbarrel for Faculty GA03: 2:30-2:40 p.m. Can Standards-based Grading Reduce in Small Departments dropout Rates in Physics I? Location: Irvine Auditorium - Amado Recital Hall Contributed – Janet Kahn, Marshall High School, Falls Church, VA 22043; Sponsor: Committee on Professional Concerns [email protected] Co-Sponsor: Committee on Physics in Two-Year Colleges Marshall High School in Falls Church, VA, is a diverse, cosmopolitan Date: Wednesday, August 1 school with students from a wide range of economic, racial, and inter- Time: 12:15–1:15 p.m. national backgrounds. About 80% of our students take at least one year Presider: Dyan Jones of physics. Physics I is taught to 11th and 12th graders with very diverse levels of science and math backgrounds as well as motivation levels. Many of these students do not respond well to traditional grading systems. We This will be an informal gathering to discuss the challenges are currently in our third year of using standards-based grading. Scores on associated with being in a small department, both at four-year standards are linked to levels of knowledge and ability in each unit. Stu- and two-year institutions. We would like to specifically focus on dents are given multiple opportunities to demonstrate competency on each successful strategies for building collaborations with other depart- standard. Preliminary results show a much lower rate of students dropping ments and institutions. out of physics mid-year, with similar numbers of students receiving D and F grades. Wednesday afternoon Wednesday

136 GA05: 2:40-2:50 p.m. Convincing Middle, High School GB03: 1:50-2 p.m. Investigating the Effect of Lab Section on teachers of the Value of Formative Assessment Lecture Performance

Contributed – Gordon J. Aubrecht, Ohio State University at Marion, Marion, Contributed – Sytil Murphy, Shepherd University, Shepherdstown , WV OH 43302; [email protected] 25443; [email protected] Bill Schmitt, Science Center of Inquiry Unlike most schools, the lecture and lab portions of the introductory alge- Jennifer Esswein, Ohio State University bra-based physics courses at Shepherd University are not linked. Material covered in the lab portion is not the same between sections nor is it tied to Formative assessments can allow teachers to understand what is and is not the lecture portion. It is possible to cover material in lecture and not in lab working in their classrooms for the purpose of changing how they teach and vice versa. Students can have one instructor for lecture and another for various content. Many school administrators do not understand the differ- lab. Student performance on in-class exams and the FCI is investigated as a ence between summative and formative assessment and actively prevent function of the combination of lecture and lab instructors. true formative assessment to occur. The teachers then proceed to “give them what they want” with no useful effect. This study presents a model, as well as its application, for the development of formative assessments in the GB04: 2-2:10 p.m. Toward Assessing K-12 Teacher Respon- classroom in a rurally located, city high-needs district in the state of Ohio. siveness to the Disciplinary Substance of Student Ideas* Results indicate changes not only in the way teachers view their pedagogical approaches, but also in how teachers consider student personal Contributed – Amy D. Robertson, Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, WA epistemologies. 98119; [email protected] Rachel E. Scherr, Sarah B. McKagan, Stamatis Vokos, Seattle Pacific Univer- sity Session GB: PER: Investigating Class- Recent science education reforms have called for teachers to be responsive room Strategies II to the student ideas that arise in the midst of instruction and to make in- the-moment pedagogical decisions that rely on what they hear. There has Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom III thus been an increased emphasis on noticing, interpreting, and responding Date: Wednesday, August 1 to the disciplinary substance of student ideas in K-12 teacher professional Time: 1:30–3 p.m. development. However, the physics education research community has yet Presider: David Rosengrant to develop a systematic way of assessing growth in teacher responsiveness as manifested in their classroom practices. The Energy Project is developing a framework for assessing teacher responsiveness that is grounded in GB01: 1:30-1:40 p.m. Department-Level Instructional Change: the literature and in episodes from practicing teachers’ classrooms. A brief Complexity Leadership Theory and Social Networks overview of the developing framework will be presented. * This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation Contributed – Charles Henderson, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, under Grant No. 0822342. MI 49008-5252; [email protected] Kathleen Quardokus, Western Michigan University GB05: 2:10-2:20 p.m. What Are Our Goals? TAs’ Views About Efforts to improve teaching in higher education have often focused on in- introductory Laboratories dividual faculty. However, there is a growing consensus that the academic Contributed – Jacquelyn J. Chini, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL department is a more productive focus of change initiatives. The difficulty 32816-2385; [email protected] for change agents working with departments is to find ways to allow faculty members to maintain autonomy to develop emergent ideas while simul- Ahlam Al-Rawi, University of Central Florida taneously allowing departmental leaders to maintain control and provide While teaching assistants may still be developing their beliefs about and direction. Complexity leadership theory combines ideas from complexity skills in teaching and communicating physics, they also may be the most science and social network analysis to help organizations better understand approachable or accessible physics experts for students in large-enrollment how to manage the emergent and prescribed polarities necessary for suc- introductory courses. For example, the student-teacher ratio in our lecture cessful change. This talk will introduce the ideas of complexity leadership sections is about 250-1, while the ratio in our lab sections is about 30-1. As theory and illustrate their utility to department-level instructional change we are in the process of reforming our introductory courses and laborato- through the use of social network analysis applied to an academic depart- ries as well as our TA training program, we began by asking the TAs about ment. their views and experiences on both the teaching and training processes. Our TAs come from diverse cultural, teaching, and research backgrounds. GB02: 1:40-1:50 p.m. Observing Faculty Practice in Work- All were teaching the laboratories associated with algebra-based courses. shop-Style Physics Classrooms Through Multiple Lenses We will discuss trends in the TAs’ responses to questions about the purpose of the laboratory component, their roles as TAs, their own strengths and Contributed – Scott V. Franklin, Rochester Institute of Technology, Dept. of weaknesses, and their efforts to improve their teaching skills. Physics/RIT, Rochester, NY 14623; [email protected] Tricia Chapman, Rochester Institute of Technology GB06: 2:20-2:30 p.m. When Classrooms Are Technology-Rich While research has established the effectiveness of reform physics cur- & Pedagogy Poor... ricula, less well-studied is how different faculty, with varying pedagogical Contributed – Nathaniel Lasry, John Abbott College, Quebec, H3X 3A2,

content knowledge, use these materials. We characterize the diversity Canada; [email protected] Wednesday afternoon of practice in workshop-style introductory physics courses through two complementary observational protocols: the Reform Teaching Observa- Elizabeth Charles, Chris Whittaker, Dawson College tion Protocol assesses fidelity to reform-teaching philosophies, while the There is growing interest in constructing technology-rich classrooms (eg. Teaching Dimension Observation Protocol records direct practice. Despite SCALE_UP & TEAL) to enable student-centered active learning. But what a common environment and core materials, there is significant variance if technology-rich classrooms are used by instructors who have not fully across faculty and course content. Instructors in electricity and magnetism embraced student-centered pedagogies? We studied the effect of different courses not only lecture more frequently, they lecture to prepare student classrooms (conventional vs technology-rich) and of different pedagogies activities (“Tell and Practice”), whereas mechanics instructors use lecture (active learning vs. traditional) on students’ conceptual change. We also to summarize student findings (“Invent and Tell”). We find no significant examined the effect of the instructors’ perception of their instructional difference in practice during weekly sessions when the class meets in a approach (teacher-centred and student-centred) on students’ conceptual traditional setting (stadium seating, well-defined front, etc); faculty treat learning. Our findings show that technology-rich classrooms work only both environments as an essentially interactive lecture. I’ll also discuss when implemented with student-centered pedagogies. Students who re- implications for future dissemination efforts. ceived an active learning pedagogy in technology-rich classrooms achieved July 28–August 1, 2012 137 greatest conceptual gains. However, students exposed to traditional pedagogies achieved similar gains in the technology-rich and conven- Session GC: Technologies tional classrooms. We also found that instructors range on a continuum of Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom III student-centredness and that instructors’ self-reported student-centredness Date: Wednesday, August 1 correlates strongly with their students’ conceptual gains. Time: 1:30–2:40 p.m. Presider: TBA GB07: 2:30-2:40 p.m. Quasi-Experimental Evaluation of interventions on At-Risk Students’ Introductory Mechanics Performance GC01: 1:30-1:40 p.m. A Computerized Testing System that shows Students’ Work Contributed – Sara J. Rose, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801; [email protected] Contributed – Michael R. Meyer, Michigan Technological University, Hough- Synthesis and evaluation of research on at-risk student interventions sig- ton, MI 49931; [email protected] nals the need for more rigorous delineation of the characteristics involved This spring semester I implemented a process for computerized examina- in intervention effectiveness. Systematic links to and manipulation of tions in my introductory physics course. Goals included a more secure the major theoretical factors underlying these interventions must also be and valid testing environment, the ability to give students exams at vary- elaborated and studied in greater detail. Such was the purpose of this study, ing and flexible times, and offering students partial credit for their work which was undertaken in the context of two interventional approaches: a with minimal grading time. I’ll discuss my progress toward these goals pre-course and a course offered concurrent to enrollment in the target in- and student reactions to and performance within the system I developed, troductory mechanics course at a large Midwestern university. Participants including ways it could be adapted for use within almost any course us- were engineering freshmen with the prerequisite calculus credit. The quasi- ing almost any LMS or online homework system. experimental, post-test only, nonequivalent control group design utilizes propensity score matching to assess the differential impacts of the two GC02: 1:40-1:50 p.m. Designing and Using the Next approaches on at-risk student performance and persistence in the target course as well as retention rates in the related physics course sequence. generation of Active Learning Classrooms Contributed – Chris Whittaker, Dawson College, West Montreal, QC H3Z GB08: 2:40-2:50 p.m. Helping Students to Interrogate a 1A4 Canada; [email protected] Physics Text Elizabeth S. Charles, Dawson College

Contributed – Elana M. Resnick,* Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ What might the next generation of active learning classrooms look like? 08901; [email protected] What challenges and benefits might they present? What kinds of technologies and strategies work best in these environments? We report on ef- Robert C. Zisk, Eugenia Etkina, Rutgers University forts by a team of researchers and physics instructors at Dawson College Students have difficulties comprehending science texts. The interroga- who have developed a new generation of technology-rich active learning tion method, which prompts students to read sentences from the text classrooms. Building on the success of projects such as SCALE-UP, these and answer, “Why is this true?” has been developed to enhance students’ new rooms feature flexible layouts, elements of universal design, special- ability to read science texts. To enact this method, instructors must choose ized tables that accentuate group work, and most importantly, networked sentences that are both important conceptually and deeply interrogatable. multi-touch interactive white-boards (SMART Boards) for each student We explored the use of this method in an introductory physics course for group (six students). We will present details of our classroom designs non-physics majors. The teaching assistants (pre-service teachers), learning along with some thoughts, experiences and best practices in using these assistants (undergraduates), and the course instructor chose sentences for state-of-the-art learning environments and we will outline ongoing each chapter of the text, and the students were asked to interrogate two research efforts to evaluate them. to four of the sentences in each chapter. We analyzed the conceptual importance of the sentences and their interrogatability, based on underlying GC03: 1:50-2 p.m. Java Applets for Undergraduate Physics epistemologies. We then interviewed the course instructor to determine how he chose the interrogatable sentences. Based on analysis of the chosen teaching sentences and interview responses, we developed a model for choosing Contributed – Ramalingam Periasamy, American University of Nigeria, Yola, productive sentences to interrogate. Ad PMB2250 Nigeria; [email protected] *Sponsor: Eugenia Etkina Teaching and the learning is a process of dynamic equilibrium between the instructor and the students, i.e. there is no perfect lecture but with GB09: 2:50-3 p.m. Modeling Consensus: Understanding How open communications between the students and teacher one can strive to undergraduate Freshmen Define optimize the transfer and retention of physics concepts. Mostly the students lack fundamental mathematics and underprepared or students who Contributed – Gina M. Quan, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA pursue the course for the required credit. By conventional methods of 94720; [email protected] teaching undergraduate physics, an instructor will only be able to reach Angela Little, University of California, Berkeley a select group of students in the class. In order to engage the entire set In this talk I will analyze how students in a constructive whole-class of students for the full length of the lecture and also to keep them moti- discussion come to consensus around defining “physics model.” This vated, we have tried to adopt a selection of different pedagogical methods discussion occurred as part of an elective freshman course at the University such as multimedia, etc. Using commercially available and off-the shelf of California, Berkeley which is taught as part of The Compass Project, a demonstration equipment has been expensive and time-consuming and program that supports physical science students. The course had students moreover ineffective. Herein we intuit students to use available open- explore physics models through open-ended research questions around source software to design java applets. These along with others available the ray model of light. On the first day of class, students argued around have been used and were evaluated for their effectiveness in our lectures. and unpacked important components of physics models in order to define A model lesson plan for Faraday’s law will be exhibited. physics models broadly. I will identify and characterize the “consensus building moves” which are statements that participants made in the course GC04: 2-2:10 p.m. PC Tablets and Lecture Clips of the conversation. Using this coding scheme, I will look for patterns in student argumentation. Finally, I will discuss resonances between ideas Contributed – Harold T. Stokes, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT that came up in the student discussion and within interviews with physics 84602; [email protected] faculty. The PC tablet is a fully functional laptop that has a touch screen, so that Wednesday afternoon Wednesday a stylus functions like a mouse. This allows us to write on slides in a pre-

138 sentation during class. After class, we use screen-capture software on the Heinz Barschall was a physics professor at the University of Wisconsin- tablet to make short videos where we repeat some of the points from class Madison from 1946 to 1986. Internationally known and respected for his as well as repeat clicker quizzes given during class. research with fast neutrons, he was as serious about his teaching as he was about his research. He was my lab instructor in beginning physics; taught GC05: 2:10-2:20 p.m. Preparation of Screen Casts me undergraduate modern physics; and supervised my PhD work. He taught me—as he taught all his graduate students—to have high standards, Contributed – Paul G. Hewitt, City College of San Francisco, 50 Phelan Ave., high expectations, and low tolerance for stupidity. German by birth and San Francisco, CA 94112; [email protected] upbringing, he taught me to write simple, lucid English; he did this by example and by insistence. Some stories will show how Barschall’s austere Tutoring students is nicely achieved with screen casts. I will show and rationality, unemotional but penetrating criticism, and lifelong interest in discuss my most recent screen casts. the careers of his former students made him a teacher with a lasting impact on their careers and characters. He was a distinguished teacher of a kind GC06: 2:20-2:30 p.m. Using PC Tablets to Record Homework not in style today. solutions Contributed – R. Steven Turley, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84604; Session GE: The Third Eye [email protected] Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom V Screencasts of homework solutions have the advantages of showing stu- Sponsor: Committee on Apparatus dents a narrated problem solution process as well as steps to get a correct Co-Sponsor: Committee on International Physics Education answer. In particular, they can be used to demonstrate to students how Date: Wednesday, August 1 to use tools such as Mathematica and web resources in conjunction with written text and online homework forms. Students appreciate the ability to Time: 1:30–3 p.m. replay and pause solutions on their own time and to have both audio and Presider: Tetyana Antimirova visual clues on how to solve problems. With practice, it takes about the same amount of time to publish a screencast solution as a written one. I will give some examples and an assessment of how such a system was used GE01: 1:30-3 p.m. Promoting Inquiry-based Teaching by for homework solutions in a modern physics and honors physics of the thought-Provoking Activities: The Third Eye’s human body course. Perspectives

GC07: 2:30-2:40 p.m. Video Is the New Writing: Are You Invited – Xingkai LUO, Guangxi Normal University, No. 15, Yucai Road Guilin, Guangxi 541004, China; [email protected] Literate? Weigang LIANG, Guangxi Normal University Contributed – Matthew T. Vonk, University of Wisconsin-River Falls, 410 Ruoping TIAN, Rise-China Academy of Sci. Edu. Guilin South Third St., River Falls, WI 54022; [email protected] Janchai Yingprayoon, Suan Sunandha RUIC & Rise-China Academy of Sci. There is or will soon be a video analog for virtually every genre of writ- Edu. Guilin ing that exists. There are video obituaries, resumes, novels, instruction manuals, and highway billboards. Even quirky and idiosyncratic genres Zengxin HUANG, Xiangming High School of Shanghai of writing like recipes and post-it notes are finding their video analogs. At the 2000 AAPT Summer Meeting, a Chinese physics teachers and Video is everywhere, except in many college classrooms, where most of my educators group, named “The Third Eye” presented a special show, The colleagues are still requiring only written work. This year in my electron- “Third Eye” Demonstration Show. The show attracted the audience not ics class I’m trying something new. I’ve lessened the emphasis on written only with memorable and thought-provoking physics demonstrations but work, am requiring my students to make short videos about the theoreti- also a very interesting philosophy embodied in each presentation (S. Mel- cal and practical aspects of the circuits that they’ve made. So far I’m really lema, Phy. Edu., Vol. 35, P.375). Now they return to this meeting with more pleased with the results. I have found my students take more ownership, innovations developed in the past 12 years. Their informative, unique and spend more time to get it right, and are more creative with video than they entertaining demonstration show should be again one of the highlights of were before I used video. the meeting.

Session GD: Great Teachers Session GF: PER: Student Reasoning II Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom IV Location: Houston Hall - Class of 49 Sponsor: Committee on History and Philosophy in Physics Date: Wednesday, August 1 Date: Wednesday, August 1 Time: 1:30–3 p.m. Time: 1:30–1:50 p.m. Presider: Brian Frank Presider: Thomas B. Greenslade, Jr.

GF01: 1:30-1:40 p.m. Research on Coherence Seeking Across GD01: 1:30-1:40 p.m. Franklin Miller at One Hundred disciplinary Boundaries* Contributed – Thomas B. Greenslade, Jr., Kenyon College, Gambier, OH

Contributed – Chandra Turpen, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 43022; [email protected] Wednesday afternoon 20742; [email protected] Franklin Miller, the winner of the 1970 Millikan Award for his develop- Benjamin W. Dreyfus, Benjamin Geller, Vashti Sawtelle, Edward F. Redish, ment of the Single Concept Film, will turn 100 in September. Many of us Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park have used his physics text, College Physics, which went into six editions. I will tell some Miller stories, ranging from his work in saving the original We analyze coherence-seeking in on-going student activity from a video- Tacoma Narrows film to his work with the Society for Social Responsibility recorded discussion section. Here, students engage in a task designed to in Science. build connections between physics and biology. We present evidence of students 1) spontaneously bringing in unanticipated outside knowledge into their reasoning in this physics course and 2) seeking connections GD02: 1:40-1:50 p.m. Henry H. Barschall: A Teacher to between the course material and other things they know. Throughout this remember process, we examine both implicit and explicit indexing of the disciplines throughout the reasoning episode to show that often these connections Contributed – Charles H. Holbrow, Colgate University/MIT, Cambridge, MA span disciplinary boundaries. Independent of whether reconciliation is 02139; [email protected] July 28–August 1, 2012 139 achieved, we see coherence-seeking reasoning practices that students are ing in the two courses differently and reflects on how she draws on more engaged in as essential to scientific practice and as such we claim that those rote-learning in physics, but deep sense-making in digital logic design. practices should be a focus of our assessment efforts. 1. D. Hammer, “Two approaches to learning physics,” Phys. Teach. 27(9), 664-670 *Supported by the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (DGE 0750616), NSF-TUES (1989). DUE 11-22818, and the HHMI NEXUS grant. 2. D. Hammer, & A. Elby, On the Form of a Personal Epistmology (2002). *This work is sponsored, in part, by NSF EEC-0835880 and NSF MSP-0831970 GF02: 1:40-1:50 p.m. An Examination of Expert/Novice Positional Identities in the Disciplines * GF05: 2:10-2:20 p.m. Entangled Identity and Epistemology Meet Electromagnetism: The Case of Michael Contributed – Vashti Sawtelle, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742; [email protected] Contributed – Andrew Elby, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742- 1115; [email protected] Chandra Turpen, Edward F. Redish, Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park Brian Danielak, Ayush Gupta, University of Maryland, College Park We present a qualitative analysis of a group of students working through a In this contribution to our series of talks about how a student’s epistemol- task designed to build connections between biology, chemistry, and phys- ogy (views about what counts as knowledge and learning) can be entangled ics. During the discussion, members of the group explicitly index some of with his sense of who he is, we discuss how “Michael” approached an the ideas being presented as coming from “chemistry” and from “physics.’’ apparent paradox he encountered near the beginning of his intermediate- While there is evidence that students seek coherence between outside level electromagnetism class. Michael wondered if current is defined as knowledge and in-class knowledge, there is little evidence of reasoning moving charge and the ideal conductor is by definition neutral, how could with one another’s ideas, resulting in a lack of reconciliation. In this talk one calculate the current through it? This question is thornier than it first we present evidence that the difficulty students face in trying to reconcile appears. We will show how Michael’s identity as a sense-maker, an identity each other’s ideas can be understood through a positional identity lens. defined in part by its oppositional relation to many aspects of Michael’s We examine how students position themselves and each other as experts engineering program, influences how he approaches this problem, and how and novices in the disciplines. We argue that this disciplinary positioning his approach reinforces his identity. contributes to the lack of the reconciliation of ideas for these students. *Supported by the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (DGE 0750616), NSF-TUES GF06: 2:20-2:30 p.m. Teaching Assistant Interventions that DUE 11-22818, and the HHMI NEXUS grant. Produce Sense Making Activities GF03: 1:50-2 p.m. Coupling Epistemology and Identity in Contributed – Paul W. Irving, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506- Explaining Student Interest in Science 2600; [email protected] Eleanor C. Sayre, Kansas State University Contributed – Jennifer Richards,* University of Maryland, College Park, MD A recent area of investigation that has developed in the STEM community 20742; [email protected] is students’ sense making and answer making activities in collaborative Luke D. Conlin, Tufts University problem-solving learning environments. In these learning environments, Ayush Gupta, Andrew Elby, University of Maryland, College Park sense making manifests as discussions which are aimed at ascertaining “what is going on” in the problem. Conversely, answer making manifests A critical goal in science education is to encourage minority students’ con- as a discussion that is aimed toward procedures with the intended goal to tinued interest and engagement in science. 1-2 Here, we provide a case study find out “what to do.” Collaborative problem solving environments typi- of an eighth-grade student from Honduras,”Estevan,” who first caught our cally employ TAs to lead the discussion and encourage students to work attention in class for his dogged pursuit of trying to figure out how seasons together to develop an understanding of the concepts being probed in the occur on Earth. We draw on interview and classroom data to demonstrate problems. In this talk, we examine TA interventions which result in tipping that what engages Estevan lies at the intersection of epistemology and students into sense making activities. identity. Specifically, his epistemological stance toward science as figuring things out for oneself taps into his personal love of challenges, and this love of challenges is tied strongly to his sense of self. We make the case for GF07: 2:30-2:40 p.m. Application of Bloom’s Taxonomy to conceptualizing personal epistemology as deeply intertwined with aspects introductory College-Level Physics Courses of identity, at least for some students, and we draw the implications of this perspective for classroom practice. Contributed – Nathaniel C. Grosz,* North Dakota State Univer- *Sponsor: Andrew Elby sity, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Fargo, ND 58108-6050; 1. Bang & Medin, Sci. Ed., Vol. 98. (2010). [email protected] 2. Basu & Calabrese Barton J. Res. Sci. Teach., Vol. 44 (3) (2007). Erika Offerdahl, Mila Kryjevskaia North Dakota State University A team of discipline-based educational researchers at North Dakota State GF04: 2-2:10 p.m. Coupling Identity and Epistemology to University has been using Bloom’s taxonomy as a basis for characterizing Explain Differences in Learning Experiences the cognitive levels required by students (1) to learn subject matter in college-level science courses and (2) to demonstrate acquired knowledge Contributed – Ayush Gupta, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742; and skills on exams. Exam problems were used as a data source for both [email protected] categories. Correlation between student performance and cognitive level Andrew Elby, University of Maryland, College Park was measured. To gain a deeper understanding of student learning, exam problems were further categorized according to the number of reasoning Students’ personal epistemology—their notions about the nature of knowl- steps required to arrive to an answer; the level of abstraction represented in edge and learning—affect how they approach learning.1 These personal the problem; and whether or not a solution hinges on visualization and/or epistemologies have usually been conceptualized as originating in students’ spatial reasoning skills. Results relevant to students’ learning in introduc- past experiences and recruited in particular learning contexts.2 Drawing tory physics courses will be presented. on a case study based on a clinical interview with an electrical engineering *Sponsor: Mila Kryjevskaia major (“Rebecca”) in an introductory physics class, we argue that in some instances, students’ projected sense of their future profession—an aspect of their developing disciplinary identities—influences their approaches GF08: 2:40-2:50 p.m. Student Justifications of Correct towards learning. Specifically, Rebecca positions herself as an electrical responses to Commonly Used PER Tasks engineer and draws a distinction between her introductory mechanics course, which she sees as irrelevant to her future, and courses on digital Contributed - Jeffrey M. Hawkins, The University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469;

Wednesday afternoon Wednesday [email protected]

logic and introductory electromagnetism, which she sees as relevant. She sees mechanics as less coherent than digital logic. She structures her learn- Brian W. Frank, Middle Tennessee State University

140 Michael C. Wittmann, John R. Thompson, The University of Maine have the “Dollar Store Phenomena” which has become quite popular When presented with the correct answer to a commonly used PER ques- considering the economic times and offers the opportunity to investigate tion and asked to justify it, students have diverse ways of responding. real physics in action (at inexpensive prices.) From using inexpensive toys Surprisingly, many students reject the given answer and do not attempt to to demonstrate such fundamental concepts as force and energy, to foods explain why it is correct. Other students appear to not accept the answer as for the discussion of temperature and heat, to housewares for talks about correct, but still attempt to justify the answer by reinterpreting the problem relationships of pressure and density, the dollar store represents a unique or applying a strategy to determine the expected reasoning. This range of opportunity to study physics. In this paper we will try to demonstrate a unexpected responses provides information about students’ knowledge, number of these activities in an interactive manner. cognitive processes, and epistemologies. We discuss examples of these 1. C. Mann, C. Riborg, The Teaching of Physics for the Purposes of General Education, responses from interviews and pre-tests where students were asked both New York, The Macmillan Company (1912). canonical tasks and tasks where they were given the correct answer. Our results have implications for research, curriculum design, and instruction. GG03: 2:30-3 p.m. Dollar Store Labs Invited – Daryl Taylor, Greenwich High School, Naugatuck, CT 06770; DT@ GF09: 2:50-3 p.m. Differentiated Instruction: An Exploration DTFizzix.com with Simple DC Circuits Through the use of simple household items — toys, tools, food, you name it—investigate how to get conceptual results without all the expensive pro- Contributed – Thomas M. Scaife, University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Plat- verbial “bells and whistles.” Twenty simple demonstrations of various phys- teville, WI 53818; [email protected] ics topics will be rapid-fired your way along with some group participation. Andrew F. Heckler, The Ohio State University Each demonstration can be easily turned into an entire lab activity. Entirely Following a lecture-driven introduction to DC circuits, students frequently too much fun to pass up. responded to features about resistors when asked to compare the power dissipation between two circuits -- while ignoring relevant features about the voltage or current sources. Over a series of questions, individual Session GH: PER: Teacher Preparation students answered in different manners, with some consistently answering and Development in favor of one particular feature (e.g., the circuit with a greater number of resistors will always dissipate more power). Among 150 students, several Location: CCH - Claudia Cohen Terrace such responses were identified. In an attempt to mediate these individual Date: Wednesday, August 1 differences and align student performance with the intended outcome of Time: 1:30–2:40 p.m. instruction, some students completed additional practice problems that Presider: Hunter Close were meant to address a particular response, while others received more generic practice with a wide variety of power-comparison questions. GH01: 1:30-1:40 p.m. Preliminary Investigations of Physical science Teacher Content Knowledge and PCK* Session GG: Dollar Store Labs Contributed – Daniel P. Laverty, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469; Location: Sheraton - William Penn Suite [email protected] Sponsor: Committee on Physics in Pre-High School Education MacKenzie R. Stetzer, John R. Thompson, University of Maine Date: Wednesday, August 1 Time: 1:30–3 p.m. There is ongoing discussion of the extent to which specific strands of teacher professional development influence student learning. We describe Presider: Vivian O’Brien research efforts exploring the roles of teacher content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge, particularly teacher knowledge of student ideas (KSI), in the context of the Maine Physical Sciences Partnership GG01: 1:30-2 p.m. Newton on the Cheap (MainePSP). The primary focus of the MainePSP is the professional Invited – Gene L. Easter, Brushfire Science Consultants, 540 S. Ridgecliff St., development of physical science instructors in grades 6-9 via curriculum Tallmadge, OH 44278; [email protected] renewal using common instructional resources across multiple school districts. This particular study looks to assess teacher content knowledge Lisa Borgerding, Donnelly Kent State University and KSI in order to explore their respective effects on student learning in A guide to teaching Newton’s three laws of motion using the cheap and specific contexts, including density and mechanics. We will describe our the familiar—with flair. Learn to “teach the laws for less” and leave with methods, present preliminary results, and outline recommendations for effective and captivating activities, interactive demos, labs, and assessment further investigation. activities. All activities are drawn from Kent State University’s Operation *This work is partially supported by NSF grant DUE 0962805. Physics, a program for in-service middle school teachers, now in its 29th year. The program includes: How to uncover students’ prior knowledge of GH02: 1:40-1:50 p.m. Students’ Prediction of Their Exam forces and motion, Using interactive demonstrations and labs that develop Performance: Comparison of Two Cohorts the concepts of force and acceleration with bridging techniques (Clement, 1993); Use of fan carts to develop Newton’s laws, such as dueling fan carts Contributed – N. Sanjay Rebello, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS and fan cart with sail (Morse, 1993); Assessment activities such as interac- 66506-2601; [email protected] tive demonstrations, lab practicum, and a “performance assessment” by At the 2011 Summer AAPT Meeting we reported on the accuracy of way of a play—Newton’s Laws of Motion in three acts. Wednesday afternoon students’ estimation of their exam score. That study, which was completed References: J. Clement, “Using bridging analogies and anchoring intuitions with second semester calculus-based students, seemed to suggest that to deal with students’ preconceptions in physics,” J. of Research in Sci. students typically overestimated their exam score. We further found that Teaching 30(10),1241-1257 (1993). low scoring students tended to have larger overestimates than high scoring Robert. A. Morse, “Constant acceleration: Experiments with a fan-driven students. We report here on a follow-up study completed with a different dynamics cart,” Phys. Teach. 31(6), 347 (1993). population of physics students—future elementary teachers. We asked GG02: 2-2:30 p.m. Cheap Physics at the Dollar Store these students to predict their score before taking the exam and estimate their score after taking the exam. Further, we also asked students to predict Invited – Courtney W. Willis, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO and estimate the class mean as well as provide brief explanations of how 80631; [email protected] they arrived at their predictions or estimates in each case. We report on the results of the follow-up study and where relevant compare these with the A century ago C. Riborg Mann talked about the need to engage students results of the previous study. with real physics in his book titled The Teaching of Physics.1 Today, we

July 28–August 1, 2012 141 GH03: 1:50-2 p.m. TA Training for Collaborative, Group- inquiry in their own classrooms. We discuss results from our preliminary Problem-Solving Sections investigation that illustrate the extent to which teachers and students are able to relate energy concepts to real-world observations. Contributed – Chaya Nanavati, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305; *This work has been supported in part by the National Science Foundation. [email protected] 1. L.C. McDermott and the Physics Education Group at the University of Washington, Building on the work of the Physics Education Research community, we Physics by Inquiry, Wiley (1996). have implemented pedagogical changes in the way the introductory physics sequences are taught at Stanford. Instead of the previous instructor- GH07: 2:30-2:40 p.m. Validating a Survey of Students’ and centered approach, we use student-centered, active-learning strategies in discussion sections and laboratories. The change in section style has neces- teachers’ Understanding of Energy sitated a change in our TA training programs. We will compare different Contributed – Levi Lucy,* University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5709; TA training approaches that we have used with varying levels of success. [email protected] These include practicum versus theory-based sessions and day-long boot camps versus weekly training seminars. We will discuss what has worked Michael C. Wittmann, University of Maine and not worked with these programs based on feedback from the TAs-in- In the Maine Physical Sciences Partnership, we are studying middle school training and from student feedback once the TAs-in-training became TAs. teachers’ knowledge of their students’ thinking about energy. Building a survey from scratch might require extensive original research, but a GH04: 2-2:10 p.m. Comparing Written and Video Data of bank of questions at the appropriate grade-level exists online at the AAAS assessment website (http://assessment.aaas.org/). The website provides Learners’ Understanding of Energy both questions and student data of common incorrect answers. We chose Contributed – Beth A. Lindsey, Penn State Greater Allegheny, McKeesport, from these questions to design a written survey given to both students and PA 15132; [email protected] teachers. Teachers were asked to answer the questions on their own and also to predict how their students might most commonly answer. We used Rachel E. Scherr, Seattle Pacific University one-on-one interviews with both students and teachers to validate the Simple phenomena, such as lifting and lowering a ball vertically a few feet, original survey. We present data on teacher content knowledge as well as can offer tremendous insight into learner thinking about energy transfers teacher knowledge of student ideas. We observed a ceiling effect for teach- and transformations. The insights gained depend on the data collected. The ers on content understanding, suggesting the survey is too easy. We also first and second authors collaborated to compare undergraduates’ written found good examples of predictions of student thinking. responses to questions on energy in lifting/lowering scenarios to second- *Sponsor: Michael C. Wittmann ary teachers’ videotaped discussions of similar questions in professional development courses. Our comparison of these data sets is not a controlled study; the representations in the two data sets are different, the populations are different, and in general comparing written work to video is rather like Session GI: Physics for All comparing a tropical jungle to a backyard garden. That said, our find- Location: Irvine Auditorium - Amado Recital Hall ings illuminate the different opportunities presented by our two research Sponsor: Committee on Physics in Two-Year Colleges modalities. Date: Wednesday, August 1 Time: 1:30–3 p.m. GH05: 2:10-2:20 p.m. Developing a Conceptual Model for Presider: Greg Mulder Both Entropy and Energy*

Contributed – Abigail R. Daane, Seattle Pacific University, West Seattle, WA 98119; [email protected] This session focuses on the diversity of individuals in the physics Stamatis Vokos, Rachel E. Scherr, Seattle Pacific University classroom and the techniques used to engage the wide range of Entropy is typically not a central focus either in introductory university students we encounter. physics textbooks or in national standards for secondary education. However, entropy is a key part of a strong conceptual model of energy, GI01: 1:30-2 p.m. Physics in Two-Year Colleges: A Closer Look especially for connecting energy conservation to energy degradation and the irreversibility of processes. We are developing a conceptual model of Invited – Susan White, American Institute of Physics, College Park, MD entropy and the second law of thermodynamics as they relate to energy, 20740; [email protected] with the goal of creating models and representations that link energy As of this submission (late March 2012), the 2012 Survey of Physics in and entropy in a meaningful way for learners analyzing real-life energy Two-Year Colleges is well under way. In this session, we will present scenarios. We expect this model to help learners better understand how preliminary results looking at physics offerings in two-year colleges. We their everyday experiences relate to formal physics analyses. Our goal is to will examine the results in light of earlier results. Furthermore, from our develop tools for use with elementary and secondary teachers and second- surveys of physics bachelor’s degree recipients, we know that there are ary and university students. differences between physics majors who began their post-secondary educa- *This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation tion at two-year colleges and those who did not. Please join us as we take a under Grant No. 0822342. closer look at physics in two-year colleges.

GH06: 2:20-2:30 p.m. Examining Student Ability to Relate GI02: 2-2:10 p.m. Broadening of University Student Physics Energy Concepts and Real-World Observations* Education through Informal Science

Contributed – Brian M. Stephanik, University of Washington, Seattle, WA Contributed – Kathleen A. Hinko, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80304; 98195-1560; [email protected] [email protected] Peter S. Shaffer, Lillian C. McDermott University of Washington Noah Finkelstein, University of Colorado, Boulder The concept of energy is becoming an increasingly important topic in Through the Partnerships for Informal Science Education in the Com- the K-12 curriculum. We are in the process of developing a Physics by munity (PISEC) program at the University of Colorado, Boulder, many 1 Inquiry module on energy that is designed to help teachers deepen their undergraduate and graduate physics students choose to participate in an understanding of this abstract concept. The curriculum emphasizes how informal science after-school program, where they coach elementary and experimental results can motivate the construction of a scientific model for middle school students in inquiry-based science activities. Recently, the

Wednesday afternoon Wednesday energy. It also provides teachers with direct experience in inquiry-based program has expanded to include university students staging a large-scale

learning that can be used as a guide for teaching through a process of science demonstration show. We present findings that indicate these

142 informal experiences improve the communication skills of the university GI06: 2:40-2:50 p.m. A Body Falling Through the Earth: student as well as positively influence their self-efficacy as both scientists newton Versus Hooke and scientific communicators. We also present a model of integrating these activities into the institutional structures of the university system, informal Contributed – Todd K. Timberlake, Berry College, Mount Berry, GA; 30149- community-based programs, and schools. 5004 [email protected] Christopher M. Graney, Jefferson Community & Technical College GI03: 2:10-2:20 p.m. Making Kinematics a Dynamic Vehicle In a 1679 letter to Robert Hooke, Isaac Newton suggested an experi- for Launching Students into Physics* ment to detect Earth’s rotation. The experiment consisted of dropping an Contributed – Frederick J. Thomas, Learning with Math Machines, 1014 Mer- object from a great height and looking for a small eastward deflection (as rywood Dr., Englewood, OH 45322; [email protected] first predicted by G. B. Riccioli in 1651). Newton included with his letter a diagram of the path the object would take if it were allowed to pass Many students (and some faculty) consider kinematics among the least in- through the Earth. Newton’s diagram was criticized by Hooke (and more teresting and least valuable parts of physics. Too often, the topic also serves recent commentators) because his path ends at the center of Earth. Hooke to intimidate and frighten those students who have been struggling with instead argued that the path should be an ellipse with the Earth’s center mathematics. The NSF-funded project, “Math Machines and Algebraic at one focus. We have developed two open-source computer simulations Thinking,” has developed hardware and software that empowers students that illustrate the path of a falling object in both an inertial frame and the to create, test, compare, and modify free-form mathematical functions that frame of the rotating Earth, using various models for the gravitational and CONTROL motion, rather than simply describing it. Based on a hobby resistive forces inside the Earth. We show that Newton’s sketch accurately servo motor with 0.1 degree precision, the system lets students control the depicts the motion of the object in the rotating frame if one assumes a motion of a laser dot across the front of a classroom whiteboard or a small uniform distribution of mass and a linear resistive force within the Earth. laboratory screen, the motion of a block of wood as it creates scale-model This can be viewed as a more accurate depiction than Hooke’s diagram, earthquakes, the motion of gears as they drive other objects, and more. The which fits a point mass model with no resistance seen in the inertial frame. system’s role in motivation, pedagogy, and assessment will be discussed The computer simulations, which are suitable for use in the undergraduate along with opportunities for collaboration. classroom, help to emphasize the role of unstated assumptions in scientific *Supported in part by NSF’s Advanced Technological Education Program through arguments. grant DUE-1003381. More information is available at www.mathmachines.net.

GI04: 2:20-2:30 p.m. Excellence in Student Attention from Session GK: Middle and High School Excellence in Teacher Attention to Detail Teaching Contributed – Saami J. Shaibani, Instruction Methods, Academics & Ad- Location: Sheraton - Ben Franklin Ballroom IV vanced Scholarship (IMAAS), Lynchburg, VA 24506; [email protected] Date: Wednesday, August 1 A lot of students are into sports; but, physics, not so much. Even when the Time: 2–3 p.m. many standard applications of physics to athletic endeavor are presented, Presider: Kathleen Falconer there can be a sense that these are contrived and/or limited by too much approximation. The path to success has been found to lie in relevance and accuracy, no more so than when examining one particular play1 whose broadcast and sensation were remarkable.2 A simplistic appraisal of this GK01: 2-2:10 p.m. Acoustics Materials: Activity Kit for event merely repeats the overly generic approach seen elsewhere far too teachers often; instead, a detailed analysis to describe that athlete in that circum- stance provides a level of specificity and engages student interest at a deep Contributed – Wendy K. Adams, Acoustical Society of America, Greeley, CO level. The high quality of the results reinforces the benefit of eschewing the 80631; [email protected] prevalent one-size-fits-all mindset in favor of adopting the correct meth- The Acoustical Society of America (ASA) has recently been focusing odology. Multiple extensions to other sports increase the enjoyment of the effort on K-14 outreach through a partnership with the Optical Society students, which is exceeded only by their learning. of America and the American Association of Physics Teachers/Physics 1. Touchdown run after catch (at 02:46 in the second quarter of a regular-season NFL Teaching Resource Agents. This year ASA has created a free activity kit for game on Dec. 24, 2011) by Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver, Jerome Simpson (89), teachers that includes hands on equipment for a classroom of 30 and ~30 who executed a front flip over Arizona Cardinals linebacker Daryl Washington (58) lesson plans. The material addresses the science of sound and touches on into the end zone after receiving a pass from quarterback Andy Dalton (14) most of the areas of study and practice within acoustics. A brief overview 2. More than 1 million views on a popular video-sharing website within less than 24 of the development will be provided, including details on the testing and hours of when the play took place an expert review that has been completed for these resources.

GI05: 2:30-2:40 p.m. Continuing the Learning During the GK02: 2:10-2:20 p.m. Implementing a Regional Radiation assessment Stage “Loan Pool”

Contributed – Maureen L. Hintz, Utah Valley University and Brigham Young Contributed – Craig C. Wiegert, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602- University, Provo, UT 84604 [email protected] 2451; [email protected] I have implemented the “Check Your Neighbor” learning activity concept Chad Fertig, University of Georgia

into my conceptual physics course. In addition to having such questions

Becky Bundy, Madison County School District Wednesday afternoon throughout all lecture periods, they have become part of the assessment process where one third of an exam’s questions are done with one’s Kevin McReynolds, Barrow County School District neighbors. This permits me to ask questions that may be considered more Dale Autry, Athens-Clarke County School District challenging during this portion of the tests, forces students to defend their The University of Georgia’s physics learning community (a group of answers by vocalizing their reasoning to others, and, as necessary, helps university and high school faculty) recently purchased a set of portable correct understanding of concepts. After getting their exams back, the radiation-measuring devices, to be loaned out to area high school physics students continue the learning process by earning partial points back by and chemistry classrooms. We report on our first year of working with the correcting wrong answers following a prescribed process. I will give details radiation “loan pool,” in particular on developing interesting activities to of all the strategies and their influence on a student’s grade. teach students about radioactive decay, sources of environmental radiation, and even basic probability and statistics. We also discuss our long-term

July 28–August 1, 2012 143 goal of collecting and organizing radiation datasets from participating area schools. This repository of regional radiation measurements from a variety Session GL: Advanced Physics Topics/ of environments will serve as an additional teaching resource, and will in effect allow the students to experience being part of a distributed scientific Post Deadline collaboration. Location: Houston Hall - Golkin Date: Wednesday, August 1 GK03: 2:20-2:30 p.m. Science Learning Through Parental Time: 1:30–2:20 p.m. involvement Presider: Gay Stewart

Contributed – Gabriela Aguirre, Socorro Independent School District, El Paso, TX 79927; [email protected] GL01: 1:30-1:40 p.m. Photon Momentum Principles of Sergio Flores, University of Texas at El Paso refraction Through a Uniformly Moving Medium It is well known that when students have to elaborate on an excellent sci- Contributed – J. Ronald Galli, Weber State University, Ogden, UT 84408- ence project to participate in the School Science fair and continue until the 2508; [email protected] final competition, they face with a lot of questions to make and present it with confidence in which parents sometimes can’t help their children at Farhang Amiri, Weber State University home. Our intent in this issue is to present the importance to work togeth- The bending of light as it passes from one medium to another and er, parents and students to perform an excellent science project. Science undergoes a speed change is well established. Not so well established or project training for parents is ideal learning for this purpose. In a combo understood is the change in photon momentum and the role that momen- (elementary and middle) school that has a total of 758 students enrolled, tum plays in the refraction process. In particular, it is uncertain whether just 29 parents and students from different grade levels came to participate the momentum of a photon increases (P=nPo) or decreases (P=Po/n), as a in the science learning through parental involvement. The result of this photon of momentum Po passes from a vacuum to a medium of refrac- training was that parents were amazing about the science project their chil- tion index n. We propose that the magnitude of the photon momentum is dren had to do by themselves, about the students they felt more confident directly proportional to the index of refraction and is given by P=nPo. We to ask their parents about their homework and they were more successful further propose that upon refraction, the photons undergo a momentum with the science project presentation in the School Science fair. Moreover, change such that the momentum change vector is perpendicular to the re- three of the students and parents we trained were finalists on the school fracting surface. We justify these two assumptions and show how they can science fair project being placed to participate on the District Science fair be used as principles to derive the relationships for refraction for media project and obtaining one of these three students to pass to the Sun Coun- moving at any uniform speed. try Regional Science Fair. It proves that when parents are involved in their *Website: physics.weber.edu\galli children’s education, the student succeeds (Epstein 1996). Finally we are discussing the study to have more students in the first places and engage more parents and students to participate in this beneficial training. GL02: 1:40-1:50 p.m. Analysis of World Record Sprint Performance to Determine Effects Due to Wind

GK04: 2:30-2:40 p.m. Physics First Implementation Action Contributed – Blane Baker, William Jewell College, Liberty, MO 64068; research [email protected]

Contributed – Timothy Burgess, McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, Mobile, The women’s world record for the 100 m dash is currently 10.49 seconds. AL 36606; [email protected] This mark was set in 1988 on a day in which the wind speed near the track was recorded at 0.0 m/s. More recent studies of the wind that day indicate A high school changed its science sequence to a “Physics First” sequence possible wind speeds as high as 5.0-7.0 m/s. The analysis presented here is (physics-chemistry-biology) from a more traditional sequence (inte- a model for how wind affects sprinting events such as the 100 m dash. This grated science-biology-chemistry). Small studies done over the transition model is applied to the 1988 case to determine how much the elapsed time years reveal interesting results. A significant drop in unit test scores were to complete the race could have been affected by wind. observed during the last three units of the year among seniors (compared with freshmen). Data indicate that freshmen appear to learn more physics than seniors in the same introductory physics course. Sophomores in GL03: 1:50-2 p.m. Introductory Physics by Karplus: a Free, chemistry (with previous physics) scored higher than juniors (with no teacher-Editable Web- and E-Book previous physics) on the same chemistry final exam items (agreed to by Contributed – Fernand Brunschwig, Columbia University Teachers College, both teachers). Surprisingly juniors from the new sequence showed similar New York, NY 10025; [email protected] performance on the Advanced Placement Biology Exam as seniors who had more than twice the academic units in biology. Standardized scores Ivo Antoniazzi, Lawrence Furnival, Columbia University Teachers College (ACT) appear to have been impacted. There has been a significant increase We will demonstrate the capabilities and potential of an electronic edition in Advanced Placement Science enrollment but, surprisingly, AP Physics of Introductory Physics: A Model Approach by Robert Karplus, based on enrollment was not greatly impacted. a database that maps the existing structure of the traditionally published textbook.1 The entire book will be available for free on the web.Teach- GK05: 2:40-2:50 p.m. Physicist/Theorist as a High School ers will be able to adapt the book to fit their objectives and to add their teacher own material, such as problems and homework assignments. Individual teacher’s “recipes” for deploying the book will be available for other Contributed – Mikhail Tyntarev, Liceum 239, Kirochnaya 8A St., Petersburg, teachers to use and revise. Teachers will also be able to produce a PDF or 190000 Russia; [email protected] E-Book version at will using a conversion program. Finally, we will report on our plans to use contributions and feedback from teachers to improve The special course “Practical theoretical physics” was developed and suc- the book, as well as the results of a survey of teachers we conducted to cesfully approved in our liceum for those pupils who desire to become determine feasibility and interest. physicists. The main idea of the course is to show how real physicists work, 1. Peter B. Kahn, “Book Review: Introductory Physics: A Model Approach by Robert how the problems given by nature are different with (and more interesting Karplus,” Phys. Teach. 42, 561-562 (Dec, 2004). than!) those from the school book. We used very simple examples to illustrate the mathematical methods (for example, mathematical pendulum, nonlinear, of course) and always made experiments to compare results. GL04: 2-2:10 p.m. Influence of Teacher Reasoning Ability on We especially explained approximative methods in order to make pupils student Reasoning and Knowledge sure that they can solve any problem with more or less precision if they

Wednesday afternoon Wednesday understand the physical meaning. Contributed – Jennifer L. Esswein, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43201; [email protected]

144 Andrew W. Dougherty, Bruce R. Patton, The Ohio State University extended as physics knowledge expands. POOLkits may also enhance the Teachers participating in science professional development completed object-oriented programming capabilities of physics students. 120 hours or more of training consisting of inquiry-based pedagogical approaches and content knowledge. This study will relate a teacher’s score GL08: 2-2:10 p.m. AppleTV for Mobile Lectures and Sharing on a measure of scientific reasoning ability to that of their students using student-made Videos hierarchical linear modeling (HLM). Influences on reasoning ability such as economic status, gender, state test scores and grade level are explored. Contributed – Kenneth R. DeNisco, Harrisburg Area Community College, Preliminary analysis shows a strong predictive relationship between the Harrisburg, PA 17110; [email protected] reasoning ability of a teacher and his/her students’ reasoning abilities. The third-generation Apple TV with AirPlay and an iPad will be demonstrated as unique tools for wireless presentations in the science classroom. GL05: 2:10-2:20 p.m. Investigation of Instructor Effects on This combination allows freedom of movement for the teacher to circulate gender Gap in Introductory Physics in the classroom and to easily switch between presentations, videos, and science applications (apps). These all stream wirelessly to an LCD projector Contributed – Kimberley Kreutzer, North Dakota State University, Newry, SC or TV, and allow the instructor to be much more connected to the class. 29665 United States [email protected] The AppleTV can also be used to show students’ work in the situations Andrew Boudreaux, Western Washington University where they have their own device. An example could be an assignment where the students must make a short video reflecting a particular physics Gender differences in student learning in the introductory, calculus-based principle. This setup allows the student to stream the content with no electricity and magnetism course were assessed by administering the Con- additional set up needed. Attendees will be invited to share their own ceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism pre- and post-course. As ex- experiences with Apple TV and to discuss the merits of this particular pected, male students outgained females in traditionally taught sections as technology. well as sections that incorporated interactive engagement (IE) techniques. In two of the IE course sections, however, the gains of female students were comparable to those of male students. Classroom observations of the Session GM: Panel: Giving Voice in course sections involved were made over an extended period. In this paper, we characterize the observed instructor-student interactions using a frame- the Classroom work from educational psychology referred to as Wise Schooling. Results Location: Sheraton - University Suite suggest that instructor practices affect differential learning, and that Wise Schooling techniques may constitute an effective strategy for promoting Sponsor: Committee on Women in Physics gender equity in the physics classroom. Co-Sponsor: Committee on Minorities in Physics Date: Wednesday, August 1 Time: 1:30–3 p.m. GL06: 2:20-2:30 p.m. From Energy to Energy Change Presider: Zahra Hazari Contributed – Yaron Lehavi, The David Yellin Academic College of Education, Jerusalem, 93303 Israel; [email protected] Bat-Sheva Eylon, Weizmann Institute, Israel GM01: 1:30-3 p.m. Reality Pedagogy and Urban Science Teaching the concept of Energy, a fundamental concept in any science Education education curricula, presents a great challenge (Goldring & Osborne, 1994; Kaper & Goedhart, 2002; Papadouris et. al. 2008). The observed difficul- Panel – Christopher Emdin, Columbia University Teachers College, New ties may be attributed to the apparent vagueness regarding the meaning York, NY 10027; [email protected] of energy, energy forms, energy transformation/conversion/transfer and Much of the research in urban science education that focuses on the needs energy conservation. We will describe an approach to teaching, addressing of youth of color utilizes the concept of cultural relevance or responsive- this challenge by introducing the concept of energy change as a unifying, ness as the primary framework that guides the work. This presentation measurable and concrete property of different kinds of natural processes explores the extent to which this pedagogical approach impacts urban (change in speed, in height, in chemical constituents etc.). Our approach, science education, and describes its chief limitations. I also introduce an following Karplus (1981), rests on an operational definition of energy approach to pedagogy (reality pedagogy) that considers the limitations of change, based on Joule’s-like experiments, and the first law of thermo- existent research, and provides a means to improving physics instruction dynamics as relating energy change of a system to different mechanisms. by focusing on the realities of youth experiences. An appropriate “Energy language” was developed, together with teaching materials (representations, demonstrations and experiments) which were administered to 7th grade students. Preliminary findings from the pilot GM02: 1:30-3 p.m. Enacting Localized Reform Through the will be presented. Cogenerative Mediation Process for Learning Environments

GL07: 2:30-2:40 p.m. POOLkits: Applying Object-Oriented Panel – Natan Samuels, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199; Principles to Physics Object-Oriented Learning [email protected] Contributed – Thomas J. Kassebaum, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Eric Brewe, Florida International University OH 43210; [email protected] We discuss how using the Cogenerative Mediation Process for Learn- Gordon J Aubrecht, The Ohio State University -Marion ing Environments (CMPLE) affected physics instructors? awareness of

Wednesday afternoon Object-oriented development depends upon the creation of generic pieces classroom gender, cultural, and language issues. CMPLE is a formative that can be built into more complex parts. The process of teaching of phys- intervention designed to help teachers better engage with students in their ics concepts often parallels that of object-oriented design. Capitalizing on shared learning environment. Through giving students meaningful roles in that parallel, the techniques of object-oriented software engineering are ap- classroom operations via CMPLE, instructors reflected upon and adjusted plied to the development of physics learning modules. Each learning object their teaching methods to better suit their own and their students’ learning consists of observable quantities, such as the physical properties of an item preferences. Listening to, and working with their students as individuals and operators that act on it, such as force. Additionally, each object can and as a group helped instructors understand shared classroom issues include an assessment operator that evaluates the impact of the learning through the students’ voices. The process of actively changing aspects of object on student comprehension. The physics object-oriented learning kits classroom function opened new possibilities for teaching, learning, com- (POOLkits) will be developed to enhance student understanding of physics munication, and mutual understanding. We highlight this process using concepts, as well as, build a framework for developing a software object data from two courses: a high school honors physics class using the Model- based on the physics concept. As with software objects, POOLkits can be ing curriculum, and a university science content and methods course for pre-service elementary teachers using the Physics and Everyday Thinking (PET) curriculum. July 28–August 1, 2012 145 Session PERC: PERC Bridging Session PER-Central Location: Inn at Penn - Woodlands Ballroom Sponsor: Committee on Research in Physics Education Date: Wednesday, August 1 Time: 3–6 p.m. Presider: Chandra Turpen David Hammer (Discussant, invited) Leslie Atkins (Moderator, invited)

PER01: 3-3:30 p.m. Where Do Physics Students Come From and What Do They Become? A Look at Knowledge and identity Pathways Through and Beyond School Experience te new Invited – Reed Stevens, Learning Sciences, SESP, Northwestern University, …crea progra Evanston, IL 60208; [email protected] ms. In this talk, I will present a perspective that conceptualizes learning in cultural practice terms. Cultural practices are differently “sized” patterns of interaction among people and things to which people orient and hold each other accountable. Learning then involves coming to participate in these patterns of interaction and undergoing possible changes to body, mind, and identity in the process. Cultural practices are often knotted together to make normative cultural paths, through and around which people traverse specific pathways. Drawing on a conceptual framework for studying young people’s learning pathways toward “becoming” engineers (Stevens et al., 2008)1, this presentation will examine the knowledge and identity formation processes in everyday physics, physics education, and professional physics. I will consider an additional dimension of importance, how people —individually and with cultural support—navigate through sanctioned institutional passage points and rituals. I will use this framework to generate a set of future-looking questions for physics learning and physics education research. 1. R. Stevens, K. O’Connor, L. Garrison, A. Jocuns, and D. Amos, “Becoming an Engineer: Toward a three-dimensional view of engineering learning,” Journal of u Community website for Physics Engineering Education 97, 355–368. (2008). Education Research PER02: 3:30-4 p.m. Practice-Linked Identities, Social u Catalog of papers, presentations, and identities, and Mathematics Learning dissertations in PER Invited – Indigo Esmonde, University of Toronto, 252 Bloor St., W. Toronto, ON, M5S 1V6 Canada; [email protected] u Monographs reviewing results and I will talk about two different ways of thinking about identity as it relates to learning, and discuss the importance of integrating both perspectives. issues in PER First, I’ll talk about practice-linked identity: a sense of self that develops through participation in a set of cultural or collective practices. These u Interactive map of PER groups and identities are shifting and changeable, and are developed in relation to programs other people in the context. Second, I’ll talk about social identity: a sense of self—or a perception of others—based on socially meaningful categories like race or gender. These identities are seen as quite static (although they may not be experienced that way) and are related to broader systems of oppression in society. I will give examples from my research in mathemat- compadre.org ics education, and discuss how these concepts can be useful in the study of physics education. Wednesday afternoon Wednesday

146 AAPTAAPT Members…Members… …rese arch, te st, pro ve, an …create new progr d s ams. ha ds. re war kno …win a wledge.

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Learn more at the AAPT booth American Association of American Association of Physics Teachers in Houston Hall Reading Room Physics Teachers next to meeting registration. Our Donors Our deepest gratitude to the individuals and corporations who support the American Association of Physics Teachers. We give special thanks to those whose extraordinary generosity enables the AAPT to fulfill its mission. Donations made from Jan. 1, 2012–-May 31, 2012

A Engelhardt, Paula Levine, Judah Shanahan, Daniel Etkina, Eugenia Lewis, Clinton Shanholtzer, Wesley Alhaidari, Abdulaziz Ezrailson, Cathy Lewis, Edwin Shapiro, Richard Anderson, Sean F Lieber, Michael Sherwood, Bruce B Lindberg, Vern Sidors, Dzintars Filho, Aurino Baird, Dean Lowry, Matthew Smith, David Flood, Jane Balbach, John Smith, Jenna Ford, Kenneth M Ballintyn, Nicolaas Sowell, Glenn Fox, Kenneth Maasha, Ntungwa Becker III, Dean Stith, James Fuller, Rogers Malchow, Harvey Becker, William Stokstad, Paul Furnstahl, Richard Mallmann, A. Behringer, Ernest Stoner, Gyda Ann Martin, David Bernal, Santiago G Stuckey, Harry “ Martin, Richard Bers, Abraham Garcia, Sarah Marvin, Timothy T-V Betor, Robert “ Garcia-Colin, L. McCullough, Laura Tabachnick, Gene, Bigelow, Roberta Gardner, Marilyn McDermott, Lillian in memory of Patrick’s Bradford, L. Gentile, James Melich, Michael beloved brother Brandon, Ann George, Elizabeth Meyer, Joe Thiessen, David Gibson, Alan C Miller, Allen Tisdale, Charles Goss, David Calabrese, Joseph Myers, Jimmie Tobochnik, Jan Gottesman, Stephen Campbell, Erwin Tsalakou, Georgios Gould, Harvey P-R Castiglione, James Utter, Robert Greer, Michael Pedigo, R. Caudle, Joanna Van Hook, Stephen Perlman Sr., Herbert Chase, Ronald H Visintainer, James Peterson, Richard Chesick, Elizabeth Hanau, Richard Voytas, Paul Piacsek, Andrew Cone, David Harper, Paul Puskar, Gregory W-Z Correll, Francis Harris, Harold Reay, Neville Wallace, William Corrigan, Kevin Hawkins, Charles Redish, Edward Watson, Brian Helenski, Paul Reeder, Don West, Myra D Heron, Paula Renault, Pascal Williams, Craig Daniell Jr., Robert Herran Martinez, Carlos Reznik, Alexander Worobey, John Davis, Richard Hollies, Cynthia Robertson, Charles Yelon, Arthur De Graaf, Donald Rosenfeld, Carl Zitzewitz, Paul Deady, Matthew J-K Rosner, Jonathan Zook, Alma Debuvitz, William Johnson, Douglas Ryu, Shinho Zwart, John Dellai, Cheryl Johnson, George Desbien, Dwain Kammerer, Robert S Anonymous DiRosa, Michael Kerr, William Anonymous Salinger, Gerhard Dower, Richard Khelashvili, Anzor Anonymous Schaeffer, Peter Dubey, Archana Konno, Rikio Schultz, August Duncan, Daniel L Scott Jr., Hugh E Lakshminarayanan, Vasudevan Sears, Stephen Laws, Priscilla Serrano, Antonio, Edwards, Harry Leff, Harvey in honor of Alan Cooper Edwards, Jean Shaffer, Peter 148 Index of Participants Bates, Simon, P., BG04, BG08 BG03, Callahan, Pat, W04, PTRA1 Crimmins, Katie, BJ10 A PST2A62 Cannon, Trina, BF Crouch, Catherine, W30 Arawaka, Etsuo, PST1G08 Battle, Adrienne, AG05 Cao, Jian, SPS09 Crowe, Daniel, AH Aanerud, Marian, FD15 Baumann, Mark, PST1F12 Carbone, Elizabeth, AE02, PST2A21 Cui, Lili, W30 Abbott, David, BH04, PST1F04 Bautista, Manuel A., AA06 Carlsmith, Duncan, BJ05 Cummings, Karen, DJ02, FE01, Abbott, David S., ED02 Beck, Katie, FH07 Carpenter, Eric, PST1E05 FE02 Adair, Aaron M., AE08, FB11, Beharka, Alison A., W26 Carpenter, Lisa, PST2A13 Cunningham, Beth A., BB01 PST2A72 Behringer, Ernest R., PST1D06, Carr, Michael, SPS12 Adams, Betty, FK03, FK04 PST2A48 Carroll, Elizabeth, PST2A74 D Adams, Gregory, PST2D07 Beichner, Robert J, PST2A26 Caruso, David J., CH03 D’Amato, Chris, GA01 Adams, Wendy K., EF01, FH09, Bell, K’Maja, CG03 Casey, Morag, BG04,BG03, Dasari, S., PST2D07 GK01, PST2A30 , W32, PTRA4 Belleau, Shelly, AH02 PST2A62 Daye, Nina Morley, W33 Agrest, Mikhail M., FG07 Bellomo, Frank, DB03 Cassettari, Donatella, PST1C05 D’Cruz, Noella, BF08, PST1A02 Aguirre, Gabriela, GK03 Belloni, Mario Belloni, W31, PTRA3 Cecire, Kenneth, EK Daane, Abigail R., AE05, GH05, Aiken, Chastity, PST2D19 Bendall, Sharon, PST1F11 Chabay, Ruth, CA03 PST2A08, PST2A19 Aiken, John M., DF08, EF03, Benfield, Cory, PST1C05 Chafin, Clifford E., BJ06 Dancy, Melissa, FB12, PST2A50 PST1H08, PST2A14 , W23 Benmouna, Nawal, FG01, FG02 Challapalli, Sri P., PST1F05, Danielak, Brian, GF05 Aizman, Arie, BG01 Benson, Tyler, CF03 PST2C02 Daniels, Karen E., PST1G11 Akarsu, Bayram, AH07, EF04 Bentley, Sean J., EH06 Chaniotakis, Manos, AD04 Dark, Marta L., AI03 Al-Rawi, Ahlam, GB05 Berger, Arnold, FA03 Chapman, Tricia, GB02 Davis, Scott, CJ02 Alarcon, Hugo, BG01, PST2B04 Bergner, Yoav, DF01, DF02, Charles, Elizabeth, GB06, GC02 Day, James, AA02, CK06 Allen, Jeniffer, SPS16 PST2A44, W39 Chase, Evan, DI12 DeAnda, Jaime, EJ03 Allie, Saalih, AE01, BD12, DA03 Bernstein, Gary, DB02 Chase, Norma, PST2D15 Deacon, Andrew, BD12 Allison, Alan, PST1E07 Bettis, Clifford L., EE03 Chasteen, Stephanie V., DE07 Deardorff, Duane, PST2A34 Amann, George, W04, PTRA1 Bevacqua, James, SPS15 Chaudhary, Bharat L., DE11, de Freitas, Elizabeth, EH06 Amarasuriya, Deepthi, DE08 Beverly, Nancy, FD02, W37, W30, CK PST1H14, PST1H15, PST1H16, Demaree, Dedra, BD12, FB08, Amiri, Farhang, GL01 Biezen, Ruby, PST1C10 PST1H17 PST2A73 Anderson, Eric, W30 Bistrow, Van D., W36 Chavez, Juan Ernesto, DA06 Demel, John T., PST2A18 Anderson, Jon, DJ01 Blackman, Matthew, GA02 Chen, Qian, SPS09 DeNisco, Kenneth, PST2D18, GL08 Anderson, Ruth A, FK02 Blaha, Cindy, EC01 Chen, Yi, PST1C11, PST1C12 Denisova, Katya, W12 Angarita, Maria Paula, SPS01, SPS05 Blancero, Donna, BB03 Chen, Ying, PST2A76 De Pree, Erin, FG10 Antimirova, Tetyana, BE03, GE Blue, Jennifer, PST2A68 Chen, Zhongzhou, EH04 Dekay, Natalie, DF10, PST2A27 Antoniazzi, Ivo, GL03 Bohacek, Peter H., CF01 Chesakis, Ryan, PST1C13 Deorrie, Bobette, PST1B03 Arica, Zvika, AH08, PST2A09 Bonham, Scott W., PST1D01, Chesick, Elizabeth, FI04 Desbien, Dwain M., EJ01, EJ02, Armstrong, Zach B., EF01 PST1G24 Chimonidou, Antonia, PST1F12 PST1F02 Aryal, Bijaya, DH04, FD15, Bonn, Doug, AA02, CK06 Chini, Jacquelyn J., DH10, GB05 Dietz, Richard D., PST2A30 PST2A39, PST2A64 Borgerding Donnelly, Lisa, GG01 Chow, Celia Chung, FI04 Ding, Lin, PST1F09, PST2A41 Ashcraft, Paul G., AI05, EB04 Bortner, Larry, PST2D20 Christensen, Warren, W02, FC Ding, Yifan, SPS10 Ashrafi, Babak, CH02 Boudreaux, Andrew, PST2A58, T01, Christian, Wolfgang, DC03, W31, Ding, Yimin, AF03 Atkins, Leslie J., CI02, PERC CI, GL05 PTRA3 Docktor, Jennifer L., EH01, EH03, Aubrecht, Gordon, CC02, GA05, Bowles, Tuere, PST1E05 Chu, Kelvin, FD10, PST2A13 PST2D10, PST2D11 GL07 Brake, Darlene, AG06 Churukian, Alice, PST2A34 Dolan, Jr., Paul J., CB01, W16 Audette, Amy, DB07, PST2D01 Brahmia, Suzanne, W25 Ciocca, Marco, CF04 Dolise, Gregory L., BF03, PST1A03 Audette*, Amy, PST2D03 Brand, Stuart H., PST2A18 Clark, Kevin, DB07, PST2D01, Dolle, Ethan M., PST1H05 Autry, Dale, GK02 Brannan, Daniel, BJ09, PST1G21 PST2D03 Donaldson, Robert, BJ01, FD05 Ayars, Eric, PST1G19 Brewe, Eric, BD08, DE05, DJ04, Clark, Jessica W., DF07, PST2A16 Donnelly, David, BD01, BD10, DI07 FB10, FK06, GM02, PST2A23, Close, Eleanor, BD01, BD10, DI07 Donnelly, Robyn C., BG08 B PST2A25, PST2A55, SPS03, W17, Close, Hunter, BD01, AE06, BD10, Dostal, Jack, AI06 Babiuc-Hamilton, Maria, FD17 FC DI07 Dougherty, Daniel P., DH06 Bagayoko, Diola, CG02 Briles, Timothy, AH04 Co-kun, Hilal, EF04 Dougherty, Andrew W., GL04 Bagno, Esther, DI01, DI02, Briles, Timothy M., AH05 Cobern, Bill, FK03, FK04 Douglas, Scott S, EF03, DC01, PST2A45, PST2A46 Brookes, David T., EI01, FB06, FK06, Coble, Kimberly, CG03, W38 DC04, PST2A14, PST2A17 Bahna, Zahed, EE05 DE05, PST2A23, W03 Cochran, Geraldine L., FK06k CG Dowd, Jason E., PST2A29 Baily, Charles, PST1H06, DE07 Brunschwig, Fernand, GL03 Coffey, Janet, AH01 Dreyfus, Benjamin W, PST2A20, Baird, Dean, W19, Crkbrl5 Bug, Amy, EC01 Cohen, Sam, AE02, PST2A21 DF03, DF04, FD07, GF01, Bajracharya, Rabindra R., AE11, Buna, Daniela, PST1H07, SPS12 Cohen, Robert A., FD14, PST2B12 PST2A59, PST2A60 PST2A42 Bundy, Becky, GK02 Coke, Tiffany, BF05 Droschler, Stefan, DF02, PST2A44 Baker, Blane, GL02 Burk, John, W23 Cole, Renee, FB07 Du, Cui, SPS08 Bannon, David, FB08, PST2A73 Burciaga, Juan R., FD13, BB, CC, FD Coles, Adrian, PST1E05 Dubey, Archana, DH10 Bao, Lei, AE08, BJ08, FB11, Burgess, Timothy, GK04 Collings, Peter J., DB01 Duffy, Andrew, CD01 PST2A72 Burk, John B., EF03 W23, EB03, Conlin, Luke D., GF03 Dunbar, Robert, FD15 Barker, Brent W., PST2D14 PST2A14, CA Cook, Jerry, EH07 Duncan, Douglas, PST2B02 Bardeen, Marjorie G., EK02 Burnstein, Ray, FL Cook, Samuel, AI04 du Plessis, Johan, PST1C09, Barr, Alex, PST1F12, DI09 Cooney, Patrick J., BE01, W02 PST1C10 Barrantes, Analia, EB01, EH05, C Cooney, Stephen, BA03 Durden, Jared, SPS01, SPS05 PST2A31 Caballero, Marcos D., DE07, Corpuz, Edgar, FG09 Durden, Jared L., FB10, PST2A55 Barrera, Regina, W21 EF03, AB, DC01, DC04, DC05, Cox, Anne, EC01, CD02, EC Barthelemy, Ramon S., DE01 PST1H11, PST2A14, PST2A17 Cox, Elena K., BI06

July 28–August 1, 2012 149 Hawkins, Jeffrey M., AE07, GF08, Jenkins, Juliet B., BH06 E G PST2A65 Jensen, Craig M., BE04 Easter, Gene L., GG01 Gaffney, Jon D. H., FH05 Hay, Katrina M., PST2B09 Jeon, Dongryul, PST1G20 Eastwood, Kathy, PST1H05 Gallagher, Joseph S., PST2B08 Hazari, Zahra, BD05, GM Jeremiason, Jeff, DB07, PST2D01, Eblen-Zayas, Melissa, AA04 Galle, Gillian, FD11 Heafner, Joe, BF02 PST2D03 Edwards, Tom J., PST1C05 Galli, J. Ronald, GL01 Heckler, Andrew, AE12, AE09, Jha, Saurabh, BF04 Eggebrecht, John, AH06 Gallis, Michael R., PST1C13 DH12, GF09 Jiang*, Zhiqiang, SPS09 Eisenkraft, Arthur, AD02 Galloway, Ross, BG04, BG03, Heckman, Susann, PST1E04 John, Ignatius, AE01 Elby, Andrew, DI10, GF03, GF04, PST2A62 Hedi, Mohamed, EA02 Johnson, Andy, DF10, PST2A27, GF05 Galovich, Cynthia, EF01, FH09 Heft, Paul, PST2A77 PST2A28 Ellermeijer, Ton L., FI01 Galvez, Enrique J., PST1G01 Heiner, Cynthia E., FG03 Johnson, Russell, PST2D02 El Tahchi, Mario, EA01 Gangopadhyaya, Asim, CJ01 Heller, Ken, DH03, DH04, PST2A39, Johnson, Andy P., W28 Emdin, Christopher, GM01 Ganzburg, Michael, PST2B07 PST2A40 Jones, Brian, W27 Engelhardt, Larry, DC02 Garcia, Joseph, BB03 Henderson, Charles, DH01, FB07, Jones, Dyan L., DH11, EF06, Crkbrl8 Engelhardt, Paula V, W02, W42, Garg, Rohit, CD05 FB12, GB01, PST2A35, PST2A50, Jones, Michael, EG03, PST1E03 PST2B06 Gavrin, Andrew D., BC01, Crkbrl6 DE01 Joyce, Michael, PST2A37 Ephriam, John, PST2D02 Gawiser, Eric, BF04 Henry, David, BH04, PST1F04 Junkin, Bill, CD02 Epper, Rhonda, BJ09, PST1G21 Gelderman, Richard, CF08 Henry, Joshua A., CC03 Ernst, David J., FA03 Geller, Benjamin, DF04, GF01, Heron, Paula R., CI01, FK K Escalada, Lawrence T., W26 PST2A59, PST2A60, PST2A20, Hewitt, Paul G., AD01, GC05 Kaczynski, Adam, DH08, PST1H09 Escobar, Sebastian, PST1G07 DF03, FD07 Hicks, Jim, CB03 Kadooka, Mary Ann, PST1F06, W40 Escuadro, Anthony, AG04 Gibson, Al, W04 Hilborn, Robert C., FD04 Kagan, Mikhail, EI02, EJ07, Esmonde, Indigo, PER02 Gilchrist, Pamela O., PST1E04, Hinko, Kathleen A., GI02 PST1C11, PST1C12 Esswein, Jennifer, GA05, GL04 PST1E05 Hinrichs, Brant, AE10, PST2A47 Kahn, Janet, GA03 Etkina, Eugenia, BF04, DF09, DJ03, Gire, Elizabeth, EH03, PST1C03, Hintz, Eric G., EG03, PST1E03 Kamanyi, Albert, DA01 FH01, FH02, FK01, GB08, W03, PST1H13, EH01, PST2D10 Hintz, Maureen L., GI05 Kandula, Bharath K., BJ07 EI, GA Gizis, John E., AC01 Hirsch, Andrew S., PST1C02, SPS04, Kaplan, David H, PST2D17 Eylon, Bat-Sheva, AH08, PST2A09, Gladding, Gary, EH04, FB03 SPS14 Kaplan, Harvey B., SPS14 PST2D08, GL06 Goertzen, Renee Michelle, BD08, Hoang, Tram Do Ngoc, CK02 Kassebaum, Thomas, GL07 Ezrailson, Cathy M., Crkbrl4 DE05, PST2A23, PST2A25, W45 Hobbs, Robert, EJ06 Kaufman, Miron, CC01 Goldader, Jeffrey D., BA01 Hobson, Art, PST1D04, DB Kaufman, Stacey, PST1E04 F Goldberg, Fred, ED03, PST1F11, Hodapp, Theodore, FA01 Kedzierska, Ewa, FI01 Fabby, Carol, BJ08 PST2A77 Hoekstra, Angel R., PST2B02 Keleher, Jason J., PST2D02 Fakcharoenphol, Witat, FB02 Goertzen, Michelle, FA Hoeling, Barbara M., DB08 Kelly, Angela M., DD01, W12 Falconer, Kathleen A., BH04, ED02, Gomez, Luanna, FH10, PST1F10, Hoffman, Sabrina, BJ03 Kelly, Susan, PST2D12 FH10, PST1F04, PST1F10, FE, GK ED02 Hoffmann, Christopher A., AA06 Kemnetz, Matthew, CJ01 Faleski, Michael C., EJ05, PST1E01 Gonzalez, Maria Dolores, DA06 Holbrow, Charles H., GD02 Khatri, Raina M., FB07 Fan, Sewan, CJ02 González, Héctor, PST1C06 Holden, Elizabeth A., PST1E06 King, Karen, DD02 Fanjoy, Monica, PST1E04 Good, Gregory A., CH01 Holley-Bockelmann, Kelly, FA03 Kirkwood, Heath, ED03 Farrington, Keith W., SPS17 Goszewski, Matthew, AE02, AE03, Holmes, Natasha, CK06 Klassen, Mary Ann H, W15 Feierman, Barry, AD, BA PST2A21 Holsenbeck, Elizabeth C., PST1B04 Knudson, Timothy N., CF07 Feldman, Gerald, FG01, FG02 Grando, Danilla, PST1C10 Hrepic, Zdeslav, FG08 Koenig, Kathleen, BJ08, FB04 Fera, Giuseppe, PST2C02 Graney, Christopher M., GI06 Hsu, Leon, DH03, DH04, PST2A40 Kohl, Patrick B., DI05, FB05, Feren, Richard B, W09 Grant, Terry, AH01 Hsu, Leonardo, DJ02 PST2A15, PST2A22 Fertig, Chad, GK02 Gray, Kara E., PST2A69 Hsu, leon, PST2A39 Kohnle, Antje, PST1C05 Fetsko, Michael, EK01 Gray-Battle, Asia, PST1E05 Hu, Dehui, EH08, PST2A03 Kontur, Fred, FG05 Fidler, Chuck, AI04 Greco, Edwin F., DC01 Huang, Zengxin, GE Kontur, Frederick J., FG04 Figueroa, Claudio, PST2B04 Greenslade, Jr., Thomas B., EE02, Huang, Hong, SPS06 Kopp, Sacha, PST1F12 Finegold, Leonard, PST1G17 GD01, GD Hubisz, John, CH Kortemeyer, Gerd, AE04, DF01, Finkelstein, Noah, AA01, GI02, Grill, Wolfgang, DA01 Huertas, Luis F., PST1C14 DF02, DH06, PST2A44 PST1G03, PST1H01, FB09, Grosz, Nathaniel C., GF07 Hull, Michael M., BD09 Koss, Matthew, W18 PST2A54, FC Grove, Timothy T., PST2A48 Hutchison, Paul, FH03 Kozminski, Joseph F., PST2D02 Flakker, James, ED01 Grunert, Megan L., DE01 Hylton, Derrick J., AI03 Kramer, Laird, DE05, PST2A23, Flarend, Richard, W10 Gupta, Ayush, DI10, GF03, GF04, Hämäläinen, Ari O.J., AF02 DJ04, BD08, FK06, PST2A25, FC, Flores, Sergio, DA06, GK03 GF05 DJ Floyd, Richard, SPS07 Gwinn, Elaine, PTRA2 I-J Krane, Ken, DE04, PST1H03 Fofana, Malick, PST1G15 Ibrahim, Bashirah, DH05, PST2A24 Kreutzer, Kimberley A., T01, GL05 Fomins, Aleksejs, PST1C05 H Ilie, Carolina C., PST2B09 Kryjevskaia, Mila, DI03, GF07 Franceschetti, Donald, PST1C03 Haag, Brooke, AG02, CJ02, EJ03, Im, Sungmin, PST2A57 Kuang, Ying-Hui, SPS06 Frank, Brian W., CI02, GF08, PST1G14 Irvine, Benjamin, CJ01 Kuo, Eric, DI10, FH03 PST2A65 Haberkorn, David W., AH03, Irving, Paul W., GF06 Kuo, Vince H., FB05, PST2A15 Franklin, Donald G., FH11, PST2A51 ITAKURA, Kiyonobu, BJ11 Krudac, Cagliyan, FA02 PST1E07 Hafele, Anna, PST2A28 Ives, Joss, AA05, PST2B03 Franklin, Scott, W25, GB02, FC Hall, Jonathan C., AI05, EB04 IWASAKI, Takane, PST1G08 L Freeland, Dale, BI Hammer, David, AH01, BI05, PERC Jacks, Colleen, DB07, PST2D01, Lamine, Brahim, PST2A37 Freuler, Richard J., PST2A18 Hammond, Mark S., CA02 PST2D03 Larson, Adam, EH02, PST2A43 Frey, Merideth A., PST1F08 Han, Jing, PST2A72 Jackson, David, FB04 Lasry, Nathaniel, GB06 Frish, Kayt E, PST2D09 Harper, Doug, PST1G24 Jacqet, Emmanuelle, EE05 Lauterburg, Urs, FJ01 Fritz, Linda, EC01 Harper, Kathleen A., PST2A18 Jaeger, Herbert, EA01 Laverty, Daniel P., GH01, PST2A56 Froyd, Jeff, FB07 Harrer, Benedikt W., EF05, PST2A66 Jafri, Jameela, CG03 Laverty, James T., AE04 Furnival, Lawrence, GL03 Harrison, Tim, DA04 James, Mark, PST1H05 Lawler, Janet, EG Fuster, Gonzalo, PST2B04 Hauck, Jillian, SPS12 150 Lawler, Jeannette, EG03, PST1E03 Maries, Alexandru, DH07, PST2A61 Mylott, Elliot E., BJ03 Pritchard, David E, DF01, BD07, Laws, Priscilla W., BE01, W11, FF Martinez, Fabian A., PST1C14 DF02, EB01, EH05, PST2A02, Le, Yongkang, DE10 Martinuk, Mathew, PST2A63, DH09 PST2A31, PST2A44, W39 Le Moroux, Gilles, EE05 Martínez, Fabián, PST1D17 N Proctor, Ron, EG03 Lechuga, Lawrence, PST1G19 Marx, Jeffrey, FE01, FE02 Nageswaran, Warren, PST1C09 Proleiko, Julian K, DG04 Lee, Changsoo, PST1G20 Masters, Mark F., PST2A48, EA, Nanavati, Chaya, GH03 Proleiko, Igor V., DG04 Lee, May, BJ02 PST2D07 Neakrase, Jennifer J., FK05, PST1F01 Prouty, Roy, SPS02, SPS16 Lee, Kevin M., PST1A01, W29, AC Mateycik, Frances A., DI11, PST2A75 Nelson, Jim, BH01 Pugliese, Emanuele, PST2C02, Lehavi, Yaron, PST2D08, GL06 Mathews, Brinkley, PST1C03 Nemeth, Melissa M., AH03, PST2A51 PST2C03 Lehn, Rudolph, PST1E07 Matsler, Karen Jo, PTRA3 Nicholson-Dykstra, Susan, CD06 Puntambekar, Sadhana, CK02 Leif, Todd, AG01, DG05, EJ06 Mazur, Eric, PST2A29 Nicolescu, Elena, PST1E04 Puterkovski, Menashe, DI01, DI02, Leiva, Sandra, PST1C15 Mazzanti, Valentina, PST1G07 Niederriter, Charles, PST2D03 PST2A45, PST2A46 Levin, Daniel M., AH01 McCall, Richard P., PST1G18 Niederriter, Charles F., DB07 Lewandowski, Heather, PST1G03, McDermott, Lillian C., GH06, Nienaber, Paul J, W18 Q-R PST1H01, AA01 McBride, Dyan, W37 Niiler, Timothy A., BE05, PST1G15 Quan, Gina M., GB09 Li, Min, FK02 McKagan, Sarah B., AE05, AE06, Nissen, Jayson M., BD02, PST2B05 Quardokus, Kathleen, GB01 Li, Sissi, BD12, BD03, BD04, BD11, GB04, PST2A05, PST2A06, Normandeau, Magdalen, DE09 Radoff, Jennifer A., BI05 PST2A32 PST2A07, PST2A08 Noschese, Frank, AB Rai, Buddhi M., AA06 Li, Wenzhen, SPS10 McKean, Michael, PST1F11 Nwosu, Victoria, BD12 Ramesh, Sathappan, W37 Liang, Xiao, SPS10 McReynolds, Kevin, GK02 Ramsey, Gordon P., AH03, PST2A51 Liang, Weigang, GE McSwain, M. Virginia, AC02 O-P Rave, Heather A., BF04 Lietz, Martha, CD Medsker, Larry, FG01, FG02 O’Brien, Vivian, GG Ray, Baishali, CF03, CF05 Liff, Mark I., PST1G23 Megowan-Romanowicz, Colleen, O’Kuma, Thomas L., EJ01, EJ02, AG Rayyan, Saif, DF01, EB01, EH05, Lin, Shih-Yin, DH01, PST2A35 AD03 O’Leary, Dan, PST1G14 PST2A31, W39, FI Lin, Yuhfen, FB06 Meltzer, David E., DF05 O’Neil, Deva, PST1D05 Rebello, N. Sanjay, CK02, DH05, Lindaas, Steve, CB02 Menard, David, EE05 O’Kuma, Tom, PST1F02 EH02, EH03, EH08, EH09, GH02, Lindell, Rebecca, PST1C02 , SPS04, Méndez, David DM, PST2A70 Oakley, Christopher A., DF08, PST2A03, PST2A24, PST2A43, SPS14 Mendivelso-Villaquirán, Mauricio, PST1H08 PST2A53, EH01, PST2D10 Lindsey, Beth A., DJ02, GH04 PST1C14, PST1G07 Offerdahl, Erika, GF07 Rebello, Carina M., DI04 Little, Angela, DI06, GB09 Menon, Deepika, Crkbrl7 Olmos López, Omar, BG02 Redish, Edward F., BC03, DF03, Liu, Fang, CK01, SPS02 Meredith, Dawn, FD10 , FD11, W30 Olsen, Julia K, W05 DF04, FD07, GF01, PST2A10, Loats, Jeff, DE04, PST1H03 Merrell, Duane B., BI02, CB Osornio, Leo C., CJ02 PST2A20, PST2A59, PST2A60, Lock, Frank D., DG06 Merrymon, Kathryn, AE02 Otero, Valerie, AH02, CD06 , CI03, GF02, W30 Lock, Robynne M., BD05 Mestre, Jose, EH01, EH03, FC, PST2A69 Reed, Douglas H., AH06 Lockett, Phil, FD09, W37 PST2D10 Otero-Carrillo, Cristian, PST2B11 Rees, Amanda, EC02 Loschky, Lester, EH02, PST2A43 Meyer, Michael R., GC01, Ckrbrl1 Owens, Eli T., PST1G11 Reeves, Mark, FD05, BJ01 Louder, Robert, SPS13 Mialhe, Pierre, EA02 Paesler, Michael, BJ06 Reinsvold, Robert, FH09 Loverude, Michael, BD03, BD04, Michael, Jason, PST1G12 Page, Eric J., GL09 Reiser, Mark, BF01 PST2A32 Michelini, Marisa, AF01, EF07, FI06, Paine, Els N., PST1D03 Reitz, William, W33, DG Lowry, Matt, W19 PST1F05, PST2C01, PST2C02, Palen, Stacy, EG02 Resnick, Elana M., GB08 Lucy, Levi, GH07 PST2C04 , PST1F13, PST1G05 Papanikolaou, Christos P., DF11 Richards, Alan J., DF09 Lui, Kristine PH, AG07 Michelle, Renee, CE Parker, Judith, BF07 Richards, Evan, AG08 Luna, Juan, DA06 Micklavzina, Stanley J., FJ03 Passehl, Jennie, DD03 Richards, Jennifer, GF03 Lund, Daniel, PST1G19 Mikhaiel, Mike, AI07 Patterson, Scott, PST2A77 Rico, Jose, EJ03 Lung, Florin, BD05, DE06 Mikula, Brendon D., AE12 Patton, Bruce R., GL04 Ridenour, Joshua S., FG01 Lunk, Brandon R., CA04 Milbrandt, Rod, FI02 Paul, Ariel, EF02 , BI04 Rishell, Dave R., CF02 Luo, Ping, SPS11 Millan, Jaime, AG04 Pauley, Lance, PST1G24 Robbes, Didier, EE05 Luo, Xingkai, GE, FJ02 Miller, Kelly A., PST2A67 Pawl, Andrew, EB01, EH05, Robertson, Amy D., AE05, GB04, Luzader, Stephen, BE06, PST1G12 Mills, Jack, BB03 PST2A31, BD07, PST1C16, PST2A07, PST2A08 Lyon, Gabrielle, CG03 Milner-Bolotin, Marina, FH12 PST2A01, PST2A02, W37 Robinson, Alma, FH04 Minstrell, Jim, FK02 Peng, Zhigang, SPS11, PST2D19 Robinson, Neil, PST1C09 M Misaiko, Katherine, FD12, PST1G06 Periasamy, Ramalingam, GC03 Robinson, Steve J., PST2B06, W42 MacIsaac, Dan, AF02, AF03, BH04, Moore, Emily, BI04, EF02 Perkins, Katherine, BI04, EF02 Rodriguez, Idaykis, BD08, PST2A25 FH10, PST1F04, PST1F10 , ED02 Moore, James C., AI01, PST1C04, Peña, Enrique, PST1C06 Rodriguez, Juan, W37 MacPhee, Cait, BG08 SPS07, SPS13, SPS15, SPS17 Planinsic, Gorazd, EI03, W35 Rodriguez, Jennifer, FG09 Madsen, Adrian, EH02, PST2A43, Moore, Mary Anne L., FD14, Plisch, Monica, W22 Rodriguez, Yvonne W., BB03 CK02 PST2B12 Plummer, Julia D., EG01 Rodríguez, Ana M., PST1C14 Madsen, Martin J., DG01 Moore, Robert, PST1A05 Podolefsky, Noah, AB, BI04, EF02 Roll, Ido, CK06 Magee, Christina, BI03 Morse, Robert A., EE01, W14 Poel, Bob, AF Rosa, Katemari, W12, PST2D05 Mahadeo, Jonathan V., SPS03 Mossenta, Alessandra, PST2C02, Polak, Robert, CJ01 Rose, Sara J., GB07 Maidl, Rebecca, DF10, PST2A27 PST1F13, PST1G05 Pollock, Steven, BJ02, DC05, Roseman, Reni, EF06 Maier, Steven J., EB02, PST1B03, BH, Mountcastle, Donald B., DF06, DF07, PST1H06, PST1H11 Rosenblatt, Rebecca J., AE09 Crkrbrl3, EB PST1H10, PST2A16 Polo, Tito, PST1G14 Rosengrant, David, PST2A74 Maiullo, David P., DG02, FJ Moyer, Adam, AE03, PST2A21 Polomski, Ray, PST1B02 Ross, Mike, AH02 Malczanek, Victoria, PST1H07 Muhoro, Peter, FA01, DD Ponnambalam, Michael, CK05 Roudebush, Deborah, EK03 Mallmann, A. James, BJ04 Mulder, Greg, GI Posada, María P, PST1D17 Rouinfar, Amy, CK02, EH02, Malysheva, Marina, FH01, FH02 Mumford, Holly M., PST1E03 Potter, Wendell H., FD16 PST2A43 Mamudi, William, DH01, PST2A35 Mungan, Carl E., FG11 Potvin, Geoff, BD05, DE06, DF12 Rowe, Dale C., EG03 Mangrubang, Fred R., PST1E03 Murphy, Sytil, GB03, PST2B01, W37 Powell, Bob, PST1A05 Rowland, S. Clark, DE02 Manogue, Corinne A., PST1H13 Muthyala, Rajeev, FD15 Prather, Edward E., AI02 Roy, Arunava, CF03, CF05 Manthey, Seth R., SPS03 Mwene, Anthony M., AG03 Price, Edward, ED03, PST2A77 Rubbo, Louis, AI July 28–August 1, 2012 151 Rudenga, Kristi, PST1F08 Shemwell, Jon T., BD02, PST2B05 PST1C07 Whitten, Barbara, EC01 Rudolph, Alexander L., PST2A37 Shen, Ji, PST2A38 Thompson, John R., AE11, DF06, Whitman, Katie, W40 Ruiz, Juan Carlos, PST1C06 Shimoyama, Hiro, BJ07, PST1G22 DF07, GF08, GH01, PST1H10, Wick, Kurt A, W13 Rundquist, Andy, AB, EB03 Shropshire, Steve, Ckrbrl2 PST2A16, PST2A42, PST2A56, Widenhorn, Ralf, BJ03 Rus, Vasile, PST1C03 Simha, Rahul, BJ01, FD05 PST2A65 Wiegert, Craig C., GK02, PST2A38, Ruskell, Todd G., BJ09, DI05, FB05, Singh, Chandralekha, DH01, DH07, Thompson, Cody V., SPS07, SPS13 DC PST1G21, PST2A15, PST2A22 PST2A35, PST2A61 Thoms, Brian D., DF08, PST1H08 Wilcox, Bethany R, DE07, PST2B02 Rutledge, Carl T., PST1A04 Sievert, Pati, W10 Thornton, Ronald K., FF01, FF02, Wilksch, Philip, PST1C09 Ruubel, Thomas, CJ01 Skjold, Brandy, FK03, FK04 W11 Williams, Karen A., BH05 Rzchowski, Mark, FD03 Skuriat, Amanda S, SPS12 Timberlake, Todd K., GI06, W31 Williams, Megan J., BA02 Small, Kim J., EG01 Ting, Cheng, CF06 Williams, Paul, W27 S Smith, Chris, FG09 Titus, Aaron, BE02, PST1G10, W08 Willis, Courtney W., GG02, Sabella, Mel S., CG04, DD03 Smith, Jr., Daniel M, W12, W38 Torigoe, Eugene, PST2A33 PST2A30 Sadaghiani, Homeyra, DJ02 Smith, David P., DF11 Toth, Gordon, CD05 Willis, Maxine C., BE01, CF Sadaghiani, Homeyra R., DE03 Smith, Trevor I., DF06, PST1H10 Trout, Joseph J, SPS16, DC06, Willman, Beth, AC03 Sadler, Philip M., BD05, DE06 Smythe, Jonathan P., DD04 PST1H12 Wittmann, Michael C., PST1H09, Sako, Masao, AC04 Sneddon, Peter H., DA02 Turley, R. Steven, GC06 AE07, DH08, DI12, EF05, GF08, Sams, William R., BJ06 Sokoloff, David R, W11, FF01, FF02 Turner, Raymond, W43 GH07, PST2A65, PST2A66, FC Samuels, Natan, GM02 Sonnert, Gerhard, DE06 Turpen, Chandra, DF03, DF04, Wolf, Steven F., DH06 Santi, Lorenzo, EF07, PST1F13, Soulliard, Brian, CD05 PERC, FD07, GF01, GF02, Wong, King, PST2A58 PST2C04, PST1G05, PST1F05, Spaccavento, Joseph, BA06, PST1B02 PST2A10, PST2A20, PST2A59, Wonnell, Steve, DA PST2C01 Spartalian, Kevork, PST2A13 PST2A60 Wood, Shane, EK04 Santos, Daniel F., PST1C15 Spike, Benjamin T., FB09, PST2A54 Tyntarev, Mikhail, GK05 Wood, Krista E., AG09, PST2B08 Sarani, Saeed, BH03 Spirko, Jeffery, PST2B12 Wu, Weining, AF03 Saur, Matthew, SPS12 Stacey, Bonnie, PST2A74 U-V Wyant, Brian, CD05 Sawtelle, Vashti, BC03, DF03, DF04, Stanger-Hall, Kathrin, PST2A38 Uchino, Masanori, PST1G08 Xiao, Bin, PST2A26 FD07, GF01, GF02, PST2A10, Stassun, Keivan, FA03 Useche-Baron, Norely, PST2B11 Xu, Qing, DH03, DH04, PST2A39, PST2A20, PST2A59, PST2A60, Stefanel, Alberto, EF07, PST1F05, Uzpen, Brian, AG10 PST2A40 SPS01, SPS05 PST1F13, PST1G05, PST2C03, van den Berg, Matthijs, FD10 Yennello, Sherry, BB02 Sayre, Eleanor, PST2A76, GF06, PST2C04 Van Dusen, Ben, CD06 Yerushalmi, Edit, DH01, DI01, DI02, W02, W25 Steinberg, Richard, BI01 Van Duzor, Andrea G., DD03 PST2A35, PST2A45, PST2A46 Scaife, Thomas M., GF09 Stelzer, Tim, FB03 VanGyseghem, Gaetan, AA06 Yingprayoon, Janchai, GE Schaffer, Kathryn K., DB06 Stelzer, Timothy, BJ10 Van Heuvelen, Alan, W03 Young, Dan E., FD10 Schatz, Michael, W23, EF03, DC01, Stephanik, Brian M., GH06 Vanier, Marianne, FH01, FH02 Young, Elizabeth J., SPS18 DC04, PST2A14, PST2A17 Stephens, Hillary D., PST1D07 Vargas, Camila, PST1C17 Young, Todd S., W29 Schell, Julie, PST2A67 Stetzer, MacKenzie R., AA03, BD02, Vargas, Andrés F., PST1C15 Yuan, Jianmin, DE10 Scherr, Rachel E., AE05, AE06, EF05, DF11, GH01, PST2A56, PST2B05 Vaz, Arnaldo M., BG05 Yun, Ying, SPS06 GB04, GH04, GH05, PST2A08, Stewart, Gay, AH06, GL Vercellati, Stefano, FI06, PST1F05, Zajac, Richard, PST2B10 PST2A19, PST2A66, W45 Stewart, John C., FB01, PST1C01 PST1F13, PST2C01, PST1G05 Zavala, Zenaro, BG Scherrer, Joseph J., BA04 Stewart, Sean, SPS01, SPS05 Vesenka, James, FD10, FD12, Zawicki, Joseph L., BH04, FH10, Schkolnikov, Natalia, PST2B07 Stille, Dale, W06, W20 PST1G06, W30 PST1F04, PST1F10 Schmidt, David R., DI05, PST2A22 Stith, James H., CG01 Vicens, Aurora, DA05 Zeng, Liang, FG09 Schmidt, William L., PST1D02 Stokes, Harold T., GC04 Vineyard, Michael F., CA05 Zhang, Dongmei, PST2A38 Schmiedekamp, Ann, DA04 Stoll, Dwight, PST2D01 Voge, Dominic J., PSTD206 Zhao, Bo, PST1F09 Schmiedekamp, Carl, DA04, FD06 Stottrup, Benjamin L., BD11, Vokos, Stamatis, AE06, BC02, GB04, Zhong, Hui, SPS06 Schmitt, Bill, GA05 PST2A05, PST2A06 GH05, PST2A19 Zhou, Zhi-Yong, SPS06 Schober, Mark, PST1F07 Strawderman, Oather B., PST1G16 Von Korff, Joshua, EH09, PST2A53 Zisk, Robert C., DJ03, GB08 Schroeder, Noah, FB03 Sturm, David E., EE04, BJ, EE Vonk, Matthew T., GC07 Zitzewitz, Paul W., PST1B01 Schultz, Scott F., AG01 Sudhakaran, Gubbi, PST2D11 Vuong, Steven, PST1G14 Zou, Huihui, SPS11 Schunicht, Shannon, FG12 Sung, Shannon, PST2A38 Zwart, John W, PST2D09 Schuster, David, FK03, FK04 Sweeney, Steven J., PST1D08 W-Z Zwickl, Benjamin, DC05, DE07, Schwalm, William A., CK03, Sylwester, Lowell, FH10, PST1F10 Wadness, Michael J., EK05, PST1G03, PST1H11, AA01, PST2A11 Szewciw, Adam O., SPS04 PST2A49 PST1H01 Schwalm, Mizuho K, PST2A11, Wagner, D. J., AE02, AE03, PST2A21 Zypman, Fredy R., PST1G04 CK03 T Wagner, Phil, CA01 Schwarz, Cindy, DE04, PST1H03 TIAN, Ruoping, GE Walker, Mary, W22 Sealfon, Carolyn D., PST1D03 TSUKAMOTO, Koji, BJ11, PST1G08 Walkington, Candace, W22 Seaton, Daniel, DF02, PST2A44, Tabor-Morris, Anne, AH04, AH05 Walters, Eric, CD04 DF01, W39 Tagg, Randall, PST1G09, W01 Wampler, Wendi, PST2A73, FB08 Selen, Mats, BJ10 Tavakley, Ravi, PST2A05 Wang, Jing, CF04, EH07 Index to Advertisers Semak, Matthew R., PST2A30 Taylor, Beverley A., W43 Weatherford, Shawn A., CA03 Semlak, Julie, PST2A68 Taylor, Daryl, GG03 Weibl, Richard, BB03 Expert TA...... 7 Senior, Thomas J., W04 Taylor, Jack W., DJ02 Weisenburger, Kara, DD03 Modus Medical...... 15 Sgrignoli, Silvano M., FI03 Teese, Robert, FB04, BE01, CD05, Wells, Connie, ED, FH McGraw Hill...... Back Cover Shaevitz, Joshua, FD01 W08, BE Wells, Leanne, DJ04 Physics2000.com...... 5 Shaffer, Peter S., GH06 Teodorescu, Raluca, EB01, EH05, West, Mary Lou, BF06 WebAssign...... Inside Front Cover Shaibani, Saami J., GI04 FG01, PST2A31, W39 Westlander, Meghan J., EB05 Shaw, Kimberly A., EC02 Terrazas, Sergio Miguel, DA06 Wetherhold, Jeffrey M., BJ12 Shea, Patricia, BJ09, PST1G21 Terry, Nathan B., FG04, FG05 White, Susan, GI01 Sheaffer, Kendra E., DI11, PST2A75 Thacker, Beth, DI08 Whitman, Kathryn, BF05 Shellley, Scott, W15 Thomas, Frederick J., GI03, Whittaker, Chris, GB06, GC02 152 University of Pennsylvania Campus Map

July 28–August 1, 2012 153 HoustonHouston Hall Hall FirstFirst Floor Floor on F Enter Bodek L Bodek L Exhibit Hall irst Flr oo ounge ounge

TY C Resource Room (Reading Room 2) REGISTRATION Reading Room C AAPT Booth omP adr e / Manager Building fo In rmation Center Creperi La Pe tite Bistro e

H.S. Photo Contest on Ground Enter Hall of F Hall of F Balcon Flr oo lag s y lags

154 Houston Hall Second Floor Ben Bishop Room Room Whit Fr ank e lin Golk Room in L obb y Brachf Room eld Pe relman Au ditorium Class of 49 Quad Rehearsal Room Platt

July 28–August 1, 2012 155 Houston Hall Third Floor

156 Exhibit Halls – Houston Hall

Sci- The Klinger Educ. Spectrum Supply Science APS Techniques Source Products

Laser Iowa Doppler Classroom Products Web- Assign PASCO scientic

Pearson American Texas 3B Sci. Instruments

Vernier Modus Medical Software & Wiley

Technology

The Expert TA Physics 2000.com Arbor W.H. Freeman Scientic

Audio It’s Visual Piazza NADA About Educational Innovations Scientic Imag. Time Cyber Cafe

First Floor Ground Floor Irvine Auditorium Local Restaurants

Ground Floor

First Floor 158 Irvine Auditorium Local Restaurants

Abners Penne 38th Chestnut St. 3611 Walnut St. Philly style food/cheesesteaks Italian Cuisine 215-662-0100 215-823-6222 Baby Blues Pizza Rustica 3402 Sansom St. 3602 Chestnut St. Barbeque Pizzeria 215-222-4444 215-895-3490 Beijing Restaurant Pod 3714 Spruce St. 3636 Sansom St. Chinese and Bubble Tea Pan Asian Cuisine 215-222-5242 215-387-1803 Bobby’s Burger Palace Sabrina’s Cafe 3714 Walnut St. 227 N. 34th St. Bobby Flay’s burgers Breakfast and cafe food 215-387-0378 215-222-1022 Chili’s Lemon Grass 3801 Chestnut 3630 Lancaster Ave. Mexican grill Thai 215-222-7322 215-222-8042 City Tap House Mad Mex 3925 Walnut St. 3401 Walnut St. American Grille and Tap Casual Mexican 215-662-0105 215-382-2221 Distrito White Dog Cafe 3945 Chestnut St. 3420 Sansom St. Mexican Organic/American Cuisin 215-222-1657 215-386-9224 Metropolitan Bakery Zocalo 4013 Walnut St. 3600 Lancaster Ave. Breakfast and bakery Contemporary Mexican 215-222-1492 215-895-0139 Mikey’s 32nd and Chestnut St. American Grill and Sports Bar 215-222-3226 Also, for a list of food trucks in the area: New Deck Tavern 3408 Samson St. http://www.gourmet.com/restaurants/2009/09/ philadelphia-street-food Irish Pub 215-222-0100

July 28–August 1, 2012 159 Session Sponsors List Pre-High School Education: W05, W16, W32, W33, BI, CB, GG AAPT Committee Professional Concerns: W02, W43, BB, CRK03, CRK08, GA Apparatus: W01, W04, W06, W15, W16, W20, Research in Physics Education: W02, W11, AA, BJ, EA, EE, FJ, GE W17, W25, W28, W42, W45, AA, AE, AH, BC, Educational Technologies: W08, W11, W23, BD, BG, CI, CK, CRK03, CRK07, DH, DI, EH, FB, W25, W28, W30, W31, W39, W45, AB, BE, CA, FC, FF, FK, PERC CF, CRK01, FF Science Education for the Public: W10, W18. Graduate Education: CE, CRK07, FA W21, W27, W43, CD, CRK02, DB, DG High Schools: W04, W09, W12, W19, W23, Space Science and Astronomy: W29, W38, W26, W27, AD, AH, BA, CD, CF, CRK05, DG, DJ, W40, AC, BF, CE, EG, FC EK, GA Teacher Preparation: W22, W32, AF, BH, History & Philosophy of Physics: W14, FI, GD CRK04, DD, DJ, ED, FK Interests of Senior Physicists: FB, CH Two-Year Colleges: W03, W33, AG, CRK08, GI International Physics Education: AF, BG, DA, Undergraduate Education: W03, W30, W31, GE W35, W37, W39, AI, BC , CC, CRk06, DC, EI, FD, Laboratories: W01, W13, W36, W37, BJ, CK, DA, FI EA, ED Women in Physics: T01, W21, BB, EC, GM Minorities: T01, CG, DD, GM

Poster Sessions with Refreshments

Poster Session 1 8:30–10 p.m. Monday, July 30 Houston Hall - Bistro Philly Soft Pretzels and Lemonade! Poster Session 2 6–7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 31 Houston Hall - Bistro Delicious Dessert Bars and Punch!